Tynzien's Saga: Omega Alpha
by Ash The Wanderer
Summary: Chapter 3 Summery: Tynzien tries to find the mysterious Tarlos girl, Lyre tries to find peace between the Tarlos and Roes, and Syria just finds trouble. But they might wanna find out who that mysterious space figure is, and if I'll ever update again!
1. It Begins Anew...

Tynzien's Saga: Omega Alpha

Tynzien's Saga: Omega Alpha

**_ _**

Prelude: It Begins Anew…

Fire.

Fire, fire everywhere. It seemed everything was in the midst of burning. Buildings, vehicles, and everything else you could see, the flames consumed all. All colours of the rainbow, the flames danced merrily as they consumed and devoured everything in their wake. The constant series of crackling, crunching, and shrieking noises as the flames fed their eternal appetite almost seemed to forma tune for them to dance to.

It was amazing to Lidrosa that the flames hadn't devoured the road she stood, as she stumbled along, trying to escape the heat, the smoke, and the fate that had befallen her city.

But there was no escape.

She was only 16. She couldn't die yet. She had to graduate from her school, marry her dream man, reaise a family, and of course collect every single doll that had the name _Silya_ stamped on it. She had to be dreaming. That's right, she was, and any moment she would wake up and resume her normal life.

But no matter what she tried, she couldn't wake up.

Wouldn't wake up.

She stumbled, her lungs trying to pull some resemblance of air into her lungs and failing miserably as she stumbled along the road. Somewhere another car exploded, and a building collapsed as its supports were finally too weak to keep its vertical posture. Her fingers clutched all she had left of her life: her Chylen Empress Silya doll. It had been her first, given to her when she was four, and even since then she had desired to claim every single kind that was made.

In a way, she had succeeded. She surely had the only one left, because her planet was a burning wasteland.

Her family, her friends…all gone. All destroyed and wiped out…by…what?

Lidrosa stumbled out on the street, her exhausted, battered body keeping her from noticing the silhouette until it was too late.

The shock of seeing it sealed her fate, for she lost track of where she was putting her feet.

The sharp dagger of stone sank deep into her foot, its heated point sizzling as it plunged deep into her flesh. She screamed and fell.

Her eyes teared as she tried to get up, tried to reach around and remove the shrapnel from her wound, try to get back up and continue her blind search that would lead her to someone else, anyone else.

Then the figure was in front of her, and everything suddenly paled in importance, as she looked up at the tall being that stood over her.

Grey lips turned up in a disdainful smirk, as a hand composed of grey metal fingers cracked menacingly. Ti Lidrosa, it was the loudest sound she had ever heard.

"Just one more." The being said to itself.

Lidrosa was yanked up off her feet and held up into the air. Trembling like a leaf, she stared in total terror at the figure's smooth skin that looked real…and yet was not. At the bizarre hairstyle, one side neatly combed and lying along the back, the other side standing straight up in a myriad of sharp points. One eye surrounded by grey metal…and the other seemingly human.

"Why?" Lidrosa whispered.

The fingers tightened. The being smirked.

And then Lidrosa screamed and then vanished as burning energy exploded from within her and consumed her from the inside. In a second she was little more then ash, blowing away on uncaring winds.

The being snorted and lowered his hand. His eyes trailed down and fell apon the doll Lidrosa had dropped when she had been picked up.

Snorting, the being took a step forward, crushing the doll under his heel.

"Because it had to begin somewhere, fleshling."

The figure set his long legs apart in a stance as he began to call apon his power. It was time. He brought up his hands as they began to crackle with power beyond the comprehension of any normal mind.

"And believe me, IT IS ONLY THE **_BEGINNING!!!!!!!!!!!!"_**

The power exploded around the being, an inferno of fire that melted away the ground and everything surrounding the being as it rose up. The globe around it continued to expand, vaporizing everything it touched. Light poured from the being's chest and eyes as he threw his head back and laughed to the heavens.

Then the bolt blasted down.

The planet split apart and shattered as the core was pieced and blown away. The massive power of the explosion enveloped the figure, drowning out his continued laughter.

And then there was silence as the atmosphere vanished, swallowed by fires that were snuffed out almost immediately afterward by the incredible coldness of space.

As the fire vanished, the figure reappeared, floating among the debris that had once been a civilization. Now, seventy-two hours later, it was gone.

There was no sound, for there was nothing to carry sound.

The figure laughed on silently anyway. The lack of air meant nothing to him. Nothing did. He was now sure of it. It was time for their will to be done.

But first…the being wished to demonstrate his power some more. He wanted the universe to get a good look at it before it was wiped out.

Laughing silently, the figure flew off into the darkness of space, hunting for another planet. He was well pleased.

As were they.


	2. New Day, Same Old Same Old

Chapter 1: New Day, Same Old Same Old TS1 Normal TS1 1 1 2001-10-16T16:06:00Z 2001-10-16T16:07:00Z 10 5821 33180 276 66 40747 9.2720 

Chapter 1: New Day, Same Old Same Old

"You're dead now Syria!"

"In your face Green Man! It's your time to die now!"

"It doesn't matter, I'm going to kill both of you!"  
"Eat me, TYN!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

And so the yelling went, although the situation was quite strange. The saiya-jin Tynzien, his Raeus female companion Syria, and his new Namek companion Lyre's argument had been raging as fiercely as if they all had blood feuds to settle with each other. And in a way, they did.

But they weren't trying to kill each other. Neither were they training. Instead, each was at his own computer station, rapidly pressing the controls and manipulating various actions on the screen. On Century's main monitor, each of the alien's actions molded together into one chaotic picture.

They were playing a video game. Specifically, an exploration and conquering spaceship game. However, in their case, the exploring was toned down, and the conquering…well, the argument spoke for itself.

"You're dead Lyre! I've got a full armada of Skullcrushers backed up with Sunblazer cannons! Prepare to be turned into space dust!" Syria yelled over her shoulder.

"I think not, Syria! Because I've got twenty squadrons of Wasps, Zappers, and Bloodflies that will fly circles around your ships while I take them apart piece by piece!" Lyre replied.

"And I have Hellblazer attack ships backed up by several brigands of Worldhammer warships! I'll blow both of you out of this game!" Tynzien shot out as well, as he keyed in complex attacking orders for the sprites representing his space army. Syria may have had brute force and mass firepower, and Lyre may have had numbers and annoyingly hard to hit ships, but he had more battle strategy in his head then they could learn in a lifetime, and he would grind them both into the dust.

The three armies charged at each other, Syria spewing projectiles, Lyre zapping around so quickly it was nigh impossible to get a bead on him, and Tynzien waiting for the exact moment for all the pieces to fall into play.

And then all the ships were exploding, all at once. Syria let out a cry of disbelief and non-serious grief, while Lyre made a noise of utter surprise. Tynzien only stared, then cursed in saiya-jin as he realized what had happened. Again.

"And while you three children were doing your endless bickering, I was calmly using all my resources to make one Annihilation Station, which as you can see, is quite effective." Century said, and Tynzien could almost swear there was a smug tone in it.

"Fuck! How many games is that again?" Syria cursed, yanking off her headset.

"32. In a row." Lyre muttered, and sighed. "The good thing about Century is that she doesn't eat all the pancakes."

Tynzien rolled his eyes at the latest of Lyre's many ridiculous observations. He did that a lot, especially when under stress or to try and take the sting out of a loss. Only went the situation was not lacking seriousness though. When a serious tone was needed, Lyre only spoke like the warrior he was.

"How would you know anything about pancakes Lyre? All you do is drink water!"

"Yeah. You should considering yourself lucky you don't have a dick, you'd probably spend most of your life in the bathroom." Syria added, spinning in her chair.

"Another game of Space Rulers, people?" Century asked.

"So you can win again? No thanks! In fact, I vote we ban her from all the games!" Syria snorted.

"You can't ban me from the games, I AM THE GAMES." Century replied. Tynzien snorted and made a sound that sound like an opening guitar chord for a song. "I created it in my programming. You can't get rid of me. Although I suppose I could withdraw…"

"No! We're gonna beat you yet! In fact, we'll make it even more interesting!"

"What are you going to do? Bet money on it?" Lyre said, as he flexed his antennae, waving them back and forth a bit.

"Sure!"

"Yes, that would be great…if we had funds of any kind." Century intoned.

"Well then, print some up, Mrs. I Can Do Anything Not Involved With Breathing!"

"Syria, are you asking me to COUNTERFEIT?"

"Well, what do you want us to play? Strip Space Rulers?" Syria shot back. Tynzien felt his face grow hot in a sudden blush. Lyre smirked at him and then turned.

"I'm not interested in stuff like that. I'm gonna go feed Jack. Do what you will." Lyre said, and he was gone. Tynzien felt the blush fading.

Then Syria spun around with a mischievous look in her eyes, and Tynzien felt it creeping back.

"Say…that DOES sound interesting…up to it, Tyn?"

"Um…well…er…Oh shit! I have to check on my project! Where does the time go…" Tynzien half babbled as he flew off after Lyre. Syria smirked.

"Syria, don't be so cruel."

"But it's just so EASY, Century." Syria said, her long white hair swirling around her as she spun back to face the large monitor that served as Century's face. "Are you SURE he had sexual relations with Zeen?"

"As far as…Syria! That is a rather private question!"

"I'm just asking, considering how tense he gets whenever I mention sex! I mean, sheesh! I thought we left that behind on Velas!" Syria muttered. Century didn't reply that it wasn't the concept of sexual activities that bothered Tynzien, it was when Syria mentioned them. Nor did she say the reason behind that either, although she had an inkling where even Tynzien didn't.

"I mean…hey Century! He doesn't have porn stashed on you, does he?"

Century would have rolled her eyes if she had them. Sometimes Syria had no tact whatsoever. However, the lack of it alternated between a bizarre charm, humorous, and annoying.

"………NO, he doesn't. The only reason I ever had that material was for research."

"Which was still dumb. Well, hey, what's the records for Space Rulers?"

"I've won 123 games, you have won 65, Lyre has won 23, and Tynzien has won…two."

Syria snickered.

"It's not THAT amusing Syria. His problem is he keeps trying to form these complex strategies…while you and Lyre basically just fly in and blow stuff up."

"It works, doesn't it? I'm sure there are other place's Tynzien's brain is useful."

"Not really Syria. I once beat him at 3,332 consecutive chess games…"

Tynzien needed to cool off a bit, partly from his pitched state while playing the game and partly from Syria's comments. He knew she knew that he disliked it, along with the annoying "Tyn" nickname she had given to him. But Syria was incorrigible, and although he would never admit it, it was one of the reasons Tynzien liked her so much. Now, if she could just keep it from causing her to fly off to fight half-cocked…

Tynzien came to the door he had been looking for. He keyed in the six-digit access code and entered the room.

He whistled. The orb almost seemed to glow, although there was nothing in it or being focused in it to reflect light. Still it seemed to shine, a soft pale blue. It was slightly larger then a baseball, and it looked harmless.

Appearances could be deceiving though. This orb was a pet project of Tynzien's, and it was deadly for one reason: what was being done to it.

It had begun as an idea for Tynzien to flex his mind. He'd been doing too much fighting lately, what with Malleus, Emperor, and Parkussion/Torchixstra. He needed to exercise his brain as well. And hence he had begun this.

The coldest state that could apparently be achieved by an object was Absolute Zero, or roughly –278 Celsius, give or take a degree or two. At that point, all heat officially ceased to exist as the object's molecules stopped vibrating. Tynzien had had an idea: was it possible to decrease an object's temperature even more?

It was definitely a brain twister. First of all, whatever had to be chilled had to be suspended in mid-air, because if it was touching anything, it would always have a source of heat from SOMEWHERE. Hence, he'd had to conceive of and build a field that not only levitated but cooled as well. And once he'd finally figured that out, built it, and worked out all the kinks, his first several attempts had met in failure when he attempted the cooling process too quickly, or the innate unstableness of the object at extremely low temperature had caused it to shatter. Now Tynzien was down to the last trick he had. The orb had been as specially designed as Tynzien could make it, and was being cooled extremely slowly. It was getting there, at nearly –260, but Tynzien was taking no chances. Once it hit –279, or less then that, he would celebrate his success. And if it failed, well, there were always other things to ponder.

Why like Syria has such a filthy mind… 

"Tynzien!"

Tynzien jumped as if he had been caught doing something bad, and considering that Century had an uplink wired directly into his brain, she could very well have done so.

Then he realized it had come from one of the outside speakers, and he relaxed. The last thing he wanted was another debate.

"I though I should tell you. Our solar reserves are running low."

"Oh, great. Well, I suppose you have a solution."

"Indeed I do. There's a planet coming up, by the name of Locustus. It has a very strong sun, a Class B Xipixin. Pretty fierce, but nothing we couldn't handle. However, such a strong sun will allow me to recharge a great deal of our lost solar power while we switch to one of our alternate fuel supplies, hence saving us the trouble later. It is a prime situation Tynzien, and I advise you not to pass it up."

"What's the catch?"

"Um, there is no…"

"That's what you said when you decided to take us through that dead sector of space "for peace and quiet", and we all know how THAT turned out."

"We did rescue Lyre."

"We almost all got killed!"

"That's a common occurrence, if I remember correctly."

"Oh shut up! Fine, what's that planet like?"

"Barren, most of it. That star that circles it doesn't let much live. However, it has been settled by two species, who use technology to ensure they have plenty of food and water they would not be allowed to have alone. Most of the populace lives in VERY large cities…they can span hundreds of miles and have tens, hundreds of millions of beings living there…although the cities tend to be divided, each species keeping its own side. Why, I do not know…"

"I have an idea. What species are there?"

"Well, one half is a Tarlos settlement…"

"Tarlos, Tarlos…why does that name ring a bell?" Tynzien said, snapping his fingers as he tried to recall a fuzzy piece of info.

"Zarbon." Century supplied helpfully.

"Ah yes, Freiza's right hand man. That's his species, isn't it?"

'Yes, although his cruelty would appear to be the exception rather then the norm, thankfully. Still, he is revered as something special by his species…I guess they lack good role models…Most of their business comes from crime and illegal activities. Drugs, weapons, prostitution, the like."

"Peachy. I sense more pain coming up."

'I'm sure you can handle it, Mr. Legendary Super Saiya-jin. The other species are the Roes, a strange humanoid/avian mix. They have human bodies, but they also have large wings growing from their backs and feathers instead of hair…"  
"Shades of the Shiar…" Tynzien muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Oh. Well the Roes were the original settlers of the planet, some sort of mining operation that has been abandoned for a while now. There's a pretty old species, most have money dating back centuries, even eons…a very aristocratic and artistic species…also rather stuffy…"

Tynzien cocked an eyebrow.

"So you mean you have old money living side by side with young punks? No wonder they don't get along."

"Indeed, but when the Tarlos came, the Roes couldn't just turn them away. Also, the Tarlos had some new technology the Roes wanted to get their hands on, and the Tarlos are a lot stronger, with much higher fighting potential. Nothing like having some powerful friends in case of a war or something else. So they looked the other way while the Tarlos settled and "went into business", and now the contracts and expeditions the two species have formed with each other over the centuries are so twisted together neither can live on the planet without the other, so they have no choice but to live with it. The Tarlos are "kind", if I may use such a word, to keep their business out of the Roes homes, pardon the rhyme. Most of the time. The Roes mostly keep to themselves and basically look at their neighbors with disdain, if not outright disgust."

"Bad, bad way to live."

"Not much you can do Tynzien. You weren't there when they set it up."

"Hmmpphhh. Ok, set a course for Locustus. Tell me Century, any worthy fighters?"

'Other then Zarbon? Not that I know of by reputation."

"Pity…although I wonder…do you think I'm strong enough to take on Freiza? All this time I've been avoiding him…maybe I can take the bull by the horns and…"

"We can discuss that later Tynzien. Now we have to refuel."

"So do I. I'm hungry." Tynzien said, and left for the nearest kitchen.

"Explain this again. Why are we landing there?" Syria asked.

"It's our fuel Syria. While the Star Obsidian has four different fuel supplies, they aren't infinite. So we are landing to switch to one of the other supplies, and while we're there, Century is going to recharge the ORGINAL fuel supply. Once that's done, we go on our merry way."

"Oh. A drop and shop. Ok, how long will that take?"

"Shouldn't take much longer then a week." Century replied.

"A WEEK!?!?"

"Two at the most." Century added.

"What the fuck am I going to do for two weeks?"

"Train?" Tynzien suggested.

"I don't want to look at your ugly mug all the time, Tyn!"

"How well put." Lyre added. Tynzien glared at him. The Namek just stared back.

"Meditate?" Lyre finally said, offering another suggestion for Syria.

"Good if done sometimes, BO-RING when done all the time!"

"It makes do for me." Lyre said, and indeed, he had been floating in mid-air with his arms and legs crossed before he had added his own two cents a few seconds earlier. Syria stared at the strange position.

"Why do you always do that anyway? You kind of look like you're trying to take a mid-air crap."

"It's just something my species does, I'm sure I'm not the only one who meditates this way."

"Argh! Well fine, what are YOU going to do, Mr. Smarty Saiya-jin?" Syria asked.

"I think I'm gonna give the shields the overhaul they've needed for awhile." Tynzien replied. 

"Yeah, and then they'll prove useless as another threat you couldn't possibly have predicted comes out of nowhere and plays pinball with us." Syria replied, sitting down in her chair with a false angry flourish and fastening her harness. "Well, I'm not getting tossed around this time."

"Not to worry Syria, I can't sense any danger at all. We are now beginning our descent." Century intoned. Her main monitor flicked on to show an image of the planet they were rapidly approaching.  
"The good thing about that planet is that it's cat's eye shaped with only half the calories." Lyre quipped, petting Jack, who was dozing on his lap now. Tynzien rolled his eyes.

"Hey Century, you make sure we didn't have to announce our arrival or something?"

"I tried Tynzien, but I got no communication, no hails, nothing. I guess they either don't care, or their equipment is down."

"Or they have something more important to care about. Something that will probably result in much pain for us." Syria said cynically. She pulled out her ever-present sunglasses and put them on, a sure sign she was annoyed. Tynzien could live with it.

"Descent going smoothly. It certainly is nice making a normal descent for once, isn't it?" Century said, as the planet swelled to fill the viewing screen.

"Beats getting shot down." Tynzien said.

"Or being pulled by a tractor beam." Syria added.

"Or getting rammed by a dying ship." Lyre also added. Now the Star Obsidian was descending through the atmosphere. Yellowish clouds swirled around the viewscreen.

"Pollution, Century?"

"No, just the natural way clouds are on this planet. Must be the atmosphere."

"Is it…?"

"Yes, you can breath. Two species live here, remember?"

The Star Obsidian broke through the clouds. Tynzien scanned the landscape. AT the moment, all he could see was desert, mountains, and a few sparse pockets of what could be greenery. It was desolate, but an innocent kind of desolate. An "I-just-grew-into-this" kind of desolate caused by the impartial hand of nature. Not like the last planet Tynzien had been on. The sheer bleakness of THAT landscape made this one seem to be a bonifide garden of Eden.

"Mountains or desert landing, Tynzien?"

"Mountain. We might sink in the desert."

"Not to mention how long it would take to get the sand out of our clothes." Syria added.

"The good thing about deserts is that they haven't replaced desserts at the end of meals." Lyre added in the latest of his long string of ridiculous observations. Tynzien rolled his eyes once more. Why did all of the people he took along have to be comedians?

"Ok, I've found a decent spot. Get ready to land."

"This is where something blows up." Syria muttered.

The Star Obsidian spiraled around, and with a slight jolt, placed itself down on a large flat rock outcropping. The ship did not move after the loan jolt. Syria looked around, and then slowly slid off her sunglasses.

"Well, I'll be damned."

"Landing a success, Tynzien. I shall begin the transference between fuel supplies…although it appears we have landed approaching nightfall. I will have to save starting the recharge until the next dawn on this world."

"A sunset? Ohhh, I'm there." Syria said in some delight, She unfastened her harness and flew out of the room, heading for the doors that opened up to the top of the ship, an addition after a failing takeover had drilled the holes needed anyway.

Tynzien glanced over to Lyre.

"I'll be fine. Go after her." Lyre said, and went back to meditating.

Tynzien blinked, and then headed off after Syria. He didn't feel like starting a major project now anyway.

The sun may have been harsh on Locustus, but it made for a dazzling sunset, especially when set across a backdrop of mountains. The mountains apparently marked the edge of one of the deserts, as it was considerably cooler then Syria had expected. Perhaps the mountains led into a forest or something similar…or maybe the deserts on this planet were just not very hot…or maybe…eh, she could figure it out another time.

Adjusting her sunglasses, Syria watched as the sun continued to dip below the horizon. It was a lovely sight, something that needed to be …shared.

Syria was so engrossed in the sunlight she never heard the flapping of wings. Although the owners of said wings were taking great pains to be quiet.

She definitely heard the voice though.

"Don't move."

Syria started a bit, and turned around.

Hovering in front of her, wings flapping every now and then, was a group of Roes. Make that a large group of Roes. Make that a very large group of Roes. Make that…well, there was definitely a great number of them. That was not enough to alarm Syria.

It was their large spears that all of them held that did that. She blinked. _I KNEW it._

The Roes' facing her had a very light skin, almost white, although there was various colours scattered around, including a few who were quite dark. It appeared the feathers' colour was somehow tied to the skin, as it usually was the same or very similar in colour. The feathers on their head were rather different, as they were shaped to closely resemble the strands that formed hair like hers. Most wore their "hair" in an upward style, although a few had longer feathers shaped into a more complicated design. But the avian characteristics ended there, or so it looked to Syria. She really didn't care if their bone structures resembled birds more then primates, or whatever other link they might have to flying creatures. Evolution was strange sometimes, it was foolish to judge by that.

None of the men wore shirts, although whether this was a battle ensemble or everyday living Syria did not know. Most did have one or more straps along their chest and shoulders, in which was strapped various tools. The female Roes in the army facing her wore shirts though. They all wore tight black pants and boots, and some wore headbands. Rather stylish, actually. The high society of the Roes even came through in their military.

But…it didn't look like much. The spears looked fearsome, but it did little to enhance their image. The Roes all seemed rather frail (perhaps that was an example of their link to birds?). The ones directly in front of her seemed to be the most muscular, and they only seemed as ripped as she was. Some were downright small. Syria reached out with her mind, but their ki was so low she could barely sense it. Tynzien was right, this was not a fighting species, not when it came hand to hand. They flew by their wings and used weapons.

Then again, Syria didn't recall developing an immunity to weapons. She had best be careful and respectful. She wasn't up to anything, surely she could convince her audience as such.

"…………………I come in peace?" Syria said, raising her hands slowly, even as she winced inwardly for being unable to think of anything to say except that tired cliché.

The Roes seemed to relax just a bit. For all she knew (damn, she was thinking that a lot), they thought she was as helpless as them. _Unless they have scouters like Tyn, then they might start think elsewise)._

"Why have you come here, girl?" said Head Roe. Syria relaxed a bit. Good. Now she would just calmly explain…

"Hey Syria, what's going on? Whom are you talking to?"

And then Tynzien popped up the same exit she had, landing on the roof of the ship. He immediately saw the Roes and was somewhat taken aback. Syria glanced over her shoulder as her partner tried to compose himself and say something.

Then she saw it.

It had spread through the entire group like a ripple, delving deep into all the bird creatures as soon as they got a good look at Tynzien.

At the bizarre spiked hairstyle.

At the unique armour design.

And at the tail coiled around his waist.

"Oh shit." Syria muttered.

"A SAIYA-JIN!"

The calmness was gone, as the Roes exploded into action, flying away from the ship and around it in fancy patterns. It was almost like a dance.

A dance of death.

"It's a trick!" Head Roe was bellowing. "He must be here to sell our planet! ATTACK!"

Tynzien was now coming to the same realization Syria had reached, as he threw up his hands and frantically waved them as he tried to make the head Roe realize they were mistaken.

The bird creatures leveled their spears at the two.

Syria got ready to dodge.

Then the tips glowed and energy blasted from them, thin red beams, dozens of them.

Syria heard Tynzien curse in his language.

Then the beams came down and the top of the ship was consumed with explosions.

Alarms went off as Lyre snapped his head up.

"What's going on?"

"We've been attacked!………..Again." Century added, her tone almost a mourning one and yet a "Why am I not surprised" one. "Get out and…"

Lyre was already gone, his casual wear morphing into his soldier outfit, the battle colours blazing down the hall in a blur.

Tynzien and Syria shot up out of the smoke of the explosions, circling each other as they tried to avoid bumping into the Roes that were still flying around. There seemed to be hundreds of them.

"You ok?" Tynzien asked.

"Yeah!" Syria replied. The blasts hadn't been that bad. They had hurt, but in a "Ow-that-damn-bee-stung-me" hurt rather then "Oh-god-I'm-bleeding-all-over-the-place-I'm-dying-help" hurt. "Does this happen often?"

"Oh yeah, but usually they don't have the guts to attack me. They may not be very strong, but they certainly are brave." Tynzien said. By now the Roes had realized their attack had not resulted in the death or crippling injury of their opponents and were re-organizing themselves at the order of their commander.

"Hurry! It's getting dark, and we can't leave them out here!" someone yelled. Tynzien's brow shot up.

Then more beams shot at him. Tynzien and Syria blurred away. But the Roes were catching on, and it only took them seconds to fire more blasts at the two.

Lyre flipped up onto the ship roof and struck a battle pose, ready for anything. When he saw that Tynzien and Syria were getting shot at by a bunch of opponents, he growled and began preparing some ki blasts.

"Wait Lyre, stop!" Century yelled from a speaker.

"Why?" Lyre growled, his mindset in the process of slipping into fighting mood.

"I think this is a case of mistaken identity! Hold yourself! If I'm wrong, go ahead and blast them."

Lyre growled again, but he dispersed the power he was gathering and cooled his head as he watched. Indeed, Tynzien and Syria weren't fighting back.

"Shit! Fuck! AH!" Syria cursed as a beam grazed her, and went off into a stream of curses in her language as she fought the urge to strike back.

Tynzien blurred before the Roe he had decided was the commander. The look of shock on his face would have been priceless if the situation wasn't so serious.

"I am not here to attack your planet! Please listen!" Tynzien begged.

"LIAR!" the commander Roe yelled, and twisted his spear before he tried to skewer Tynzien with a series of rapid-fire stabs. Tynzien dodged each one easily, but he was getting really aggravated. If this didn't stop soon, he would have to disable all the Roes' weapons.

"I don't want to attack! I swear on my blood!"

"SAIYA-JINS HAVE NO HONOUR!" was the screamed retort. More spear stabs. More dodging.

And then another scream.

"A GRALOUP!!!!!!!!!!"

And the whole attack plan seemed to fall apart, as the commander forgot all about Tynzien and flew back, yelling for a retreat. Tynzien was immensely confused.

Elsewhere, a Roe warrior was trying to get a bead on Syria when he heard the scream. A second later a huge shadow fell over him.

He turned and let out a shriek of pure terror.

Then massive teeth clamped down, slicing and crushing his body in a spray of blood. Tynzien blinked.

"Holy…"

Bloody feathers fell from the creature's mouth as it chewed up its meal. It appeared to be some kind of bizarre combination of a wolf, a lizard, and a bat, possessing the lupine facial features of a wolf, the body structure of a bat, and the scales of a lizard in a bizarre quilt of features. However, the strange appearance did not take away from the fact the creature was the size of a building, and that it was clearly carnivorous.

The "Graloup", as the Roes had called it, finished the poor Roe it had caught, and swooped down to try and snag another one as the bird creatures frantically fled. Some fought back, firing beams of energy or even throwing their spears at the creature, but both just bounced off the creature's tough hide. As Tynzien continued to stare in horror, it swooped down and snatched another soldier out of the air. The scream was painfully short before it became a gurgled moan and then silence.

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" The commander was screaming, as his soldiers frantically fled. Tynzien looked over at him, and finally realized why the commander had wanted to be done with them before nightfall. The creature was apparently a night hunter, and it clearly fed on Roes. Something had attracted it, and now the Roes were paying the price for leaving their safe city.

Tynzien growled as energy crackled into existence on his hands. He didn't think so.

"Retreat back to the…" the commander was yelling, when a high scream caught his attention. His head jerked as he saw the Graloup bearing down on one of the female soldiers. She was firing her weapon and having as much luck as her compatriots.

"Villa! RUN!" the commander screamed, as he turned his slow backwards flight into a steep dive at the Graloup, firing his own weapon.

The Graloup looked up, almost in annoyance as the Roe bore down on it, and then it twisted and smashed the Roe commander with a long thin tail. The commander cried out as he was thrown downward from the assault. He hit the ground hard.

"Fruetion! On no!" Villa wailed as she flew over to the commander. It was clear he wasn't getting up to fly any time soon, as his wings were twisted and laced with blood. The Graloup turned in a slow lazy half circle and charged at the two.

"Villa…I told you to run…" Fruetion spat out.

"My life is nothing without you! I won't let you die!" Villa retorted, his face filled with righteous fury as she stood up and began firing at the Graloup again. It continued to have no effect. The monster almost seemed to be grinning at the two as it closed in.

And then with a loud crack and a shower of sparks, Villa's weapon jammed and shorted out. She looked at it in disgust and horror, and then tossed it aside as she knelt down next to her commander and apparent lover.

"Pray its quick."

And then Tynzien blurred into existence in front of them, putting himself between the couple and the Graloup. All three wore the same look of surprise, the Graloup even screeching to a halt as this small animal appeared out of nowhere in front of it.

"Bad doggy." Tynzien growled.

Whether the Graloup knew it had been insulted or whether it was just hungry was not known, as the creature snapped and lunged at Tynzien.

Its jaws closed on thin air as Tynzien zapped up slightly. As the thing's eyes slid up to look at the saiya-jin, Tynzien held out a hand crackling with golden power.

"Play dead."

The blast blew the creature's brains to atoms and catapulted its massive body backwards as the blast pierced through and burned a massive hole what appeared to be an abdominal cavity. The huge corpse crashed to the ground with a small rumble.

Tynzien lowered himself down to the ground, still looking at the body. There was a slight noise, and then Syria landed next to him. He glanced over at her. She had the same look of distaste he wore.

Syria snorted and whipped a ki ball into existence.

"God, I hate wildlife."

Syria threw the ball at the creature and an explosion consumed it, burning it to ash.

"Indeed." Tynzien said, and turned.

The Roe soldiers had ceased their flight to see this event and now they were gathering behind their commander named Fruetion, although a brave few were trying to help Villa in lifting him up to assess his injury. The hostility had faded somewhat, but it was quite clear that Tynzien and Syria were making the Roes very nervous.

"You see that?"  
"He killed a Graloup like it was nothing…!"

"Even the Tarlos have trouble…"

All the murmuring ceased as Tynzien took a step forward. Some of the soldiers hefted their weapons, although whether it was due to a feared threat or force of habit Tynzien did not know.

"………….Yes…I am a saiya-jin…but I mean your people no harm…I come in peace…I am sorry if my presence attracted that creature in some way…I will work to repay you if that is the case…"

"It was not your fault."

The murmuring started up again and the Roes parted as a figure through them, heading towards Tynzien. Tynzien's eyes were focused on the figure and he barely noticed Lyre landing behind him.

It was another Roe, but instead of tight pants and a headband he wore a long flowing silver robe with blue markings and tassels. Two soldiers walked by his side, keeping step with him all the time. Guards of some sort. The Roe was quite clearly older then the soldiers, and from the way they acted around him, quite respected.

The Roe stopped in front of Tynzien, looking at him. Tynzien looked back. The Roe's feather-hair was almost the same silver as his robe. It was just a little duller in tone, otherwise his wings would have blended right in with his clothing.

The Roe looked him up and down.

"I sense no malice or dark desires in you. The saiya-jin is indeed speaking the truth, he is not here to harm us, neither are his companions. Let his aid in defeating the Graloup speak for him as well, as he showed bravery not found in the hearts of evil beings…like his species."

Tynzien grimaced. He hated to be reminded of his kind's bloody history. It haunted him wherever he went.

"Who are you?" Tynzien asked.

"I am Xalmer, a…what is the word in this common language…?" Xalmer asked, as his brow creased in confusion.

"A watcher?" Lyre suggested.

"Hmmm…I suppose that sums it well, Namekian. You may say I am a watcher…I observe my species for history…I saw everything from a distance, but my age kept me from getting here before they attacked you…"

"It's ok. It comes with the territory."

"Even so…you did not attract the Graloup. They are attracted by heat…and they hunt at night. However, this one seemed to have awakened a tad early…probably because of all the heat released during the battle. Let us hope we will be gone before another one shows up…"

"We'll deal with it." Syria piped up, cracking her knuckles.  Xalmer cast an incredulous glance at her. Syria snorted. She knew what he was thinking.

"You better believe it, Xalmer." Tynzien said. Xalmer looked back at the saiya-jin. "She can do anything I can."

"You _better_ believe it." Syria said, slipping her shades back on.

"………….Yes. Well, saiya-jin…"

"Tynzien."

"Tynzien. I would like to apologize again for the rash attack. If I may, I would like to make it up to you…you and your companions may accompany us back to our city…although I am afraid your ship will have to dock outside it, we lack the facility to house it…"

"It's ok, I'll just keep it here. Another one of those things shows up, I'll blow it out of the sky, or call Tynzien." Century said from a speaker. This startled most of the Roes, and even seemed to unnerve Xalmer.

"…………..My computer. She's not much on introductions."

"I see."

"In a way this is my fault. My computer tried to contact you and request permission to land, explain our situation…but we couldn't get through…maybe she didn't try hard enough…"

"I HEARD THAT!" Century "yelled". More Roes jumped. Tynzien just gave his ship a wry look and kept talking.

"So you see…"

"Oh, don't trouble yourself. Tynzien. You see, our sun has been acting up a great deal lately…it's jammed our whole communications network. It's no wonder you could not get through…"

"Sir!" one of the Roes said, flying up to Xalmer.

"Yes soldier?"

"The Tarlos are here."

And then Xalmer's whole countenance changed, as his diplomatic look faded and was replaced with an angry one. His small frail hands curled into fists.

"I am sorry Tynzien, I must attend to something else."

And then Xalmer stretched out his wings and flew up and away. Tynzien watched in some surprise. The old Roe's wings still worked, it seemed. He just needed a good reason to use them.

Tynzien's eyes followed the elderly alien as he flew over to another group of aliens. Tynzien's eyes narrowed.

It was the Tarlos, all right. Unlike the Roe army, the group was composed entirely of males, of all shapes and sizes, their green hair in a variety of styles, although the majority seemed to favour a tightly tied long ponytail braid. One thing that struck Tynzien was their greenish skin. It looked so…dry.

Not an unhealthy dry. More like an "If you tried as hard as you could to get here as quickly as you could your skin should be soaked with sweat but its not" dry. It could just be the winds, of course…or…

Suddenly Tynzien realized that the good reason Xalmer had needed to use his wings was not good at all. In fact it could be very bad.

Xalmer landed in front of the group, which was headed by a tall muscular male with free-flowing hair and what might have been a set of armour like the ones Tynzien wore, if it had been worn for a dozen years and been repaired constantly. The Tarlos was standing in a slack stance, his arms crossed arrogantly, a slight smirk playing over his face.

"You incompetent _fools!_ You are supposed to back us up whenever there is a call of alarm! Where were you!?!" Xalmer hissed.

"Take it easy, old man. It's not our fault. You were the ones who up and flew off without giving us a location. Sure, we could have gotten it from communications…oh wait, all the networks are down! So we had to fly around until we found you."

"LIAR! I know your species! You took your time! Because of your laziness or cowardice, we lost…"

"EXCUSE ME? Who is the one who is ten times stronger then any of your troops, birdbrain?" the Tarlos shot back. Roes were beginning to gather behind Xalmer, and the Tarlos behind the head one were beginning to assume positions of combat readiness. The air crackled with tension and anger. A fight seemed imminent.

"You filthy spawn! How dare you threaten me! I could buy and sell you…"

"Ohhh, eeeekkkk, eeekkkkkk!" The Tarlos said in mock fear. "You might have all the money, birdbrain, but I could kick your ass with one arm tied behind my back and blindfolded!"

"Deviant!"

"Shallow weakling!"

Now the insults were flying, and the Roes were charging their weapons.

"You walking excuse for a turkey!"

"Your corrupt excuse for a…"

**"SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"** Tynzien bellowed as he materialized between the two arguing groups. He glared back and forth. "What are you people, little children?"

"Need your new alien friend to back you up, eh birdbrain?" The head Tarlos quipped.

Tynzien thrust a hand up as ki energy exploded on it. At the same time he uncoiled his tail and let it lash about. All the Tarlos fell silent, and some even looked afraid.

"Saiya-jin…" the head Tarlos said.

"Exactly. Now can it. Both of you." Tynzien growled, as he dispersed the energy and coiled his tail back up. "No one is to blame here. And starting a fight won't bring those soldiers back."

Xalmer opened his mouth to say something else. Tynzien gave him a warning look. Xalmer fell silent.

"Good. Now, I don't know if you got lost or took your time or if you all needed to take a piss, just try and be prompt next. Ok?"

"Aye aye captain. I'll let you suffer with the Roes for now." The head Tarlos said, and he turned and signaled to his companions. There was a massive rush of air as they lifted and flew off into the distance, heading back to whatever city they had come from.

Tynzien looked back at Xalmer, who now looked ashamed.

"I am sorry you had to see that…"

"No matter." _I'm sorry too._ "We had best be moving, I assume you can give us directions?"

"Hmmmm? Yes, follow us. I am sure your aid in saving us will be respected and rewarded…" Xalmer muttered the end of the sentence under his breath. Tynzien heard it anyway.

_Unlike those filthy Tarlos._

"Ok, I'll go get my friends." Tynzien said, and headed for Syria and Lyre, who had stood back and observed. Xalmer began marshalling the Roes to leave, as some finished bandaging Fruetion's injuries and lifted him up slowly to carry him back.

"They certainly like each other, don't they?" Syria said as Tynzien landed.

"Its worse then I thought. The bad blood here…its as bad as anything I've ever seen. I think we've landed right in the middle of a pressure cooker of racism." Tynzien said.

"Peachy. More pain and battering." Syria replied.

"We have a knack for finding it, don't we?" Century intoned. "Before you ask Tynzien, I'll be fine. Go with them. I'll be in touch via our uplink."

"Ok." Tynzien said. He looked at Syria and Lyre.

"Well guys, we'll get to meet old money soon. Aren't we lucky?" Tynzien said sarcastically. Xalmer yelled something, and Tynzien looked back up at him.

"Let's go guys." Tynzien said, and rose to fly after the departing Roes.

The figure should have burned up within fifty million miles of the star.

Instead, it was somehow floating right in front of it, literally. The heat would have melted a planet. To the figure, it was nothing.

"I'm here, my friend…" the figure said, running the tips of his fingers over the surface of the star. "I can feel how lonely you are…out here all alone…left to look after those pathetic little balls of mud….but have no fear, my friend…the end is coming soon."

The star went on as it always did, but the figure looked joyous.

"You see, I have come to bestow apon you an incredible gift. You will be the center point in the dawning of the new age, an age free of all these pathetic life forms and fleshlings that pollute this world, that ignore you and take you for granted! You will touch it off. You will extinguish them forever, and then you will be with all your brothers, with me, together, forever."

The star went on. The figure however, smiled as if reacting to an answer.

"I knew you would be pleased."


	3. Culture Shock

Chapter 2: Culture Shock
    
    Tynzien couldn't stop staring at the drapes.

He'd seen a lot in his travels around the universe, and he was no stranger to wealth, having encountered it a few times. But the drapes…

They looked like pure liquid gold, flowing down from above the window to the floor. The material was so lustrous and radiant it didn't look like material at all. It was as if pure sunshine was continually cascading down around the windows, a waterfall of luminescence. 

It was beautiful.

But at the same time it was just so…excessive.

The drapes were the biggest example, but others surrounded Tynzien. The bed he had been given could have seated seven of his species. He could have TRAINED in his closet, it was so huge. And it seemed like nothing in the room didn't seem to have an element of luxury, with precious metals and gems seemingly embedded and woven into everything. The only place excluded was the bathroom, which had relieved Tynzien. He was not sure what he would have done if he had walked in and found gem-encrusted toilet paper.

Old money, indeed. And a lot of it.

The Roes' section of the city Xalmer had led them to seemed to have nothing in it but big buildings. There was no evidence oft anything small or reasonable. It was disturbing on a multitude of levels.

Another thing was there were no industries, only homes. Tynzien could have accepted the lack of small structures if some of the buildings were factories or warehouses, but no, they were all residences. When Tynzien had inquired, Xalmer had given a runaround answer that only told Tynzien that they disliked having industries around where they lived for various reasons. Of course, there was an undercurrent of hate as Xalmer mentioned the Tarlos had such facilities mixed in amongst their section. Tynzien had only gotten a brief glimpse of it. It was definitely grimier then the Roes…but considering how fanatical the bird creatures seemed to be with cleanliness, it might be the more normal of the two.

And then it had been a blur of introductions as Xalmer brought Tynzien and his friends to the building that housed their main government. All Tynzien was able to gather in the rush was that the Roes' government had a heavy social influence. The serious elder avian men who chaired what appeared to be the head of this particular city seemed to be outnumbered by various women who seemed to have nothing better to do then to stand around, gossip, and plan various social affairs. It seemed less like a government structure as the structure of a major company, a board of CEO's rather then leaders.

The only other thing Tynzien was able to gather was an invitation to one of these social affairs. Xalmer was only able to tell Tynzien they would sort out everything at said party, and then he had been spirited away as well. Apparently Xalmer had political duties as well as being an observer to military functions. And then Tynzien had been brought here. Syria and Lyre had been taken to their own quarters, and then…

"KNOCK KNOCK!" came a loud yell from outside, even as a loud banging accompanied it. Before Tynzien could do anything besides rise to his feet, the door opened and Syria walked in.

"I don't believe it! It IS possible for more then one of these kinds of rooms to exist. Shit!" Syria said, looking around at the excess Tynzien had been noting just a minute ago.

"……..Don't do that Syria. It's not smart to startle a saiya-jin." Tynzien said.

"It's not smart to tell me what to do either, Tyn." Syria replied. She glanced at Tynzien and her eyes widened.

"Yee gods Tyn, you're almost shining! I need my shades!" Syria exclaimed.

"It's not my fault. They asked me to wear formal wear, but I don't have any, so they said they would wash my clothes and armour and…"

"Clean you up?" Syria finished. "Did they give you a bath too?"

Tynzien's eyes widened.

"They GAVE you a bath?"

"They had three servant girls literally do everything for me! They took my clothes, they drew the bath, they washed my hair, they dressed me, they did everything except wipe my ass, and I have a feeling that if I asked, they would have done that too! Do you know how weird it is to be bathed by three grown women like you were a baby? I thought I had wandered into one of those pornographic films Century was studying a while back."

"I can imagine." Tynzien said, although in truth he was doing his best NOT to imagine it, lest the male part of his brain take the image and run with it.

"Well anyway, the end result is, I'm all nice and dolled up. They even gave me perfume. How's it smell?" Syria asked, literally thrusting herself under Tynzien's nose. Tynzien was expecting her to do something like that this time though, and he calmly took a sniff.

His nose wrinkled.

"It's so strong…I don't think it suits you." Tynzien replied. It definitely didn't suit him. He far preferred the slightly sweet scent Syria usually gave off.

"Really? Hmmpphhh, just like the rich to get it wrong. Although they didn't get you wrong Tyn. You're so…clean!"

"Well, _thanks._" Tynzien replied sarcastically.

"I mean, more then usual. What, did they have three girls bath you too?"

"Uh no, a servant drew a bath for me but I bathed myself, and they cleaned my outfit like yours…that's about it." Tynzien said. Before he could say anything else, there came a slight knock on the door.

"It's open!" Syria snapped. A second later the door opened. Tynzien's brow arched as a Tarlos came in. It was clearly another servant. _I guess they hire outside the labour pool for some things._

"Lord Tynzi…oh sir, am I intruding?" The servant asked.

"He wishes you were! What's the scoop?" Syria asked.

"Um…the engagement is about to commence…if you would follow me…" The servant said, turning around.

"Ok, let's go party Tyn! It's clear you won't be having any fun in here!" Syria said, and headed after the servant after giving him a suggestive wink. Tynzien closed his eyes forcefully. He was really beginning to hate how Syria did that.

"Bath…I should have taken a cold shower!"

And then he headed after Syria.

Lyre was out in the hall. Syria was staring at him.

"Whoa Lyre, nice threads!" Syria exclaimed. Indeed, Lyre was wearing a fancy one-piece black outfit that vaguely resembled his fighting clothes, with additional straps and buckles.

"Thank you Syria…it was _Yarwus_ formal wear…I had to dredge my memory but I was able to eventually duplicate it on my form."

"I see…they certainly were able to make it quickly for you."

"Oh, they didn't make it. I materialized it myself."

Syria stared at Lyre.

"You can create clothes? Why didn't you say so! You could have made me a dress!"

Lyre blushed slightly.

"I am sorry Syria…for years all I have ever used that talent for was to make my normal and fighting outfits…I had to concentrate fully just to recall an old line of clothing for MY species. I will need more practice before I am able to create clothing for others. Do not trouble yourself. You look lovely."

Now it was Syria's turn to blush.

"Right this way people." The servant said.

"Hey Lyre, how big is your room?" Syria asked, as they followed the man down the hall.

"Gigantic. I've never seen anything like it."

"Oh good. Hey, did you get bathed by three servant girls?"

"Um, no, I cleaned myself."

"Good. Hey Tyn, you aren't alone in your disappointment!"

"Syria…!"

Tynzien didn't think his surprise could get any greater, but it did when he saw the layout.

It wasn't the chairs or the tables that seemed to cost a small fortune to design. It wasn't the draperies, the carpeting, or the clothes all the Roe guests were wearing. It wasn't even the fact that there seemed to be a dozen different kind of forks. It was the food.

One part of his surprise was there was so…MUCH. The saiya-jin species had an incredibly fast metabolism and required massive amounts of calories to go at the pace it usually did. Tynzien went at an even faster pace then most did, or would have if his species weren't virtually extinct. But the amount of food set out…even HE would have been stuffed. Hell, the layout looked like it could satisfy half a dozen saiya-jins.

And the other part was how the food had been…well, _designed_. It hadn't just been cooked and laid out. It was if the cooks were all part time artists, as it seemed everything was sculpted and coloured to look like the culinary equivalent of the Mona Lisa. It was so extreme Tynzien felt bad about having to eat it, as doing so would ruin the spectacle.

"Man, did they hire cooks or avant-garde artists?" Syria muttered. Tynzien glanced at her. Apparently she shared his opinions. Lyre was quiet.

"Ah Tynmien, I assume you were well taken care of?" Xalmer said, breaking from a group of Roes he had been conversing with and approaching Tynzien. He had changed clothes as well, and was now wearing a light purple robe with gold and bronze trimming. His wings were tucked closely to his back, as were all the Roes.

"It's TynZIEN, Xalmer." Tynzien corrected.

"Ah, I apologize. I have arranged seating for you. Tynzien, you will sit at the head table…Miss…?" Xalmer inquired, looking at Syria.

"Syria."

"Syria. You will sit with the women…"

"What? Why?"

"They requested your presence." Xalmer said, with a clear look that suggested to Syria they were trying to be polite. Syria signed.

"Ok fine…bunch of sexist chauvinist…" Syria said before her voice trailed into a mutter of Raeus curses.

"I am not sure where to seat you good Namek…there are several places…"

"Whatever is most convenient."

"Very well. If you wish that, you may sit with the attending military faction. I am sure as a soldier you will get along with them."

"I am sure I will." Lyre said.

"Just so you know, if you Roes are planning something separating us will not decrease our ability to kick your butts." Syria said. Xalmer looked at Syria in confusion.

"Excuse me?" Xalmer said. Now he was beginning to look worried. Syria mentally kicked herself when she realized why.

"That was a joke! You know, ha ha?" Syria explained. Xalmer looked relieved when he realized the girl wasn't threatening to attack him.

"It is a strange sense of humour…"

"You have no idea Xalmer."

"TYN!"

Tynzien could appreciate the irony. He was eating some kind of fish newly caught from artificial waters, and he certainly felt like a fish out of water.

First of all, there was the way the Roes ate. Tynzien was used to just stuffing the food down his gullet, and he had better manners then most saiya-jins. Syria wasn't much better, especially when she was hungry. Lyre just drank water, so he didn't count.

But the Roes made a meal into a virtual ritual. Every course needed some new utensil, a new glass, new drinks. This was the forth plate served to him and Tynzien was even more confused then when he started. Some of the Roes, emboldened by drink, were snickering at his supposed incompetence. Tynzien ignored them, even as he politely tried to figure out what he was doing wrong. _Lessee…three prongs with curved tips, I'm using the right fork…everyone else is drinking the purple stuff…wait, wrong knife! I'm using the wrong knife!….I can't believe I just thought that! Never in my life did I ever…_

Tynzien was brought out of his thoughts as someone was speaking to him.

"Tynzien, this is Lord Kaster. He wishes to know how your race organized things." Xalmer was saying. Tynzien cocked his head. Most of the table was paying attention to him now. _Great. What do they care about saiya-jin politics? Are they generally interested, or do they have a more sinister purpose? Although I see little in how it could harm me._

"You do know what my race was known for, don't you?" Tynzien asked cautiously.

"If you mean their barbaric bloodthirst and destruction, yes we know. Some even tried to take our planet, but we taught them a good lesson in manners, didn't we men?" Kastor said boisterously. The table roared with laughter and the clinking of drinks. Tynzien scowled. _That isn't something to laugh about. Maybe I should ask how much they did and how much the Tarlos did. That ought to spoil the mood._

But Tynzien was polite and said nothing, waiting for the laughter to die down. Then he went on.

"My race was a simple sort…we settled most everything by fighting, to the death, more often then not. We had one king, usually the mightiest warrior, and his rule was absolute. Anything he said was law. Which is one of the reasons I was exiled. In the end I'd said it fared far better for me then it did for them."

"Indeed. A race of barbarians destroyed by an even greater barbarian! Fate must have a sense of humour!" Kastor roared in the same boisterous tone. More responding laughter. Now Tynzien could feel a faint stirring of anger. _It's easy to sit on this podium you constructed and pass judgement on my species…but ease does not equal justification. My race was flawed…but that was the way it was…why do these men thing they can sit here and say those things…_

"However, as bad as the saiya-jins were, they are nothing compared to those Tarlos!" one of the men said. Tynzien stiffened. _Here we go._

Syria wanted to pull out her hair. It would be far more entertaining and less painful then what she was going through now.

If Tynzien was a fish out of water, she was a speck of anti-matter amongst a field of matter. All the Roe women talked about were how they got ahead in life. Syria had been quiet as they rambled on charity this and function that, acting like showing up to a party, eating an overdone meal, and dancing on a floor before writing out a check was the hardest and greatest thing that could be done. Their constant attempt to one-up each other to inflate their egos and sense of self-worth began to grate on Syria's nerves five minutes into the party, and her reminders that this was what they knew was beginning to lose their effectiveness.

"Oh, I recently had this DARLING little soiree for Tarlos orphans…those beasts can't even take care of their children! Oh, the little darlings were so cute in the uniforms I had made up for them…" one of the women was saying. Syria stared at her. This woman couldn't possibly exist. She was a caricature, a one-dimensional vacuous airhead. She should only be able to exist in a bad Victorian novel, not eating a meal in front of Syria that probably cost more then a Tarlos saw in a year, if their poverty was as bad as these Roes said it was.

"…it was so cute to see them serving the food…"

THAT got Syria's full attention.

"Excuse me?" Syria interrupted. The Roe women turned their attention to her. "Let me get this straight. You held a party to help the orphaned children and you used them to _SERVE THE FOOD?"_

"Well yes…I couldn't just give it to them. They need to learn that you have to work hard to get anywhere in life…best teach it to them young. It's not like I worked them for eighteen hours straight lashing them with a whip. They helped serve the meals, that's all."

"They volunteered this aid?"  
"Well no, but as I said…"

"Let me say something. They're children! That's…just…" Syria struggled with her temper as she tried to find a proper word. Now all the women were looking at her like she was some strange exotic disease.

'Well what did you do with orphans on your planet, young lady? I assume you were civilized enough to take care of them."

"………For the last ten years my planet was embroiled in a civil war. There were a lot of orphans…including me." Syria said bitterly as old bad memories came up. The Roes put on a show of shock and sympathy, but Syria could see right through it. They didn't really care, and she couldn't blame them.

"We had a lot of children in the resistance…but we looked after them. We didn't use them as labour, no matter what. If they did anything, it was because they wanted to. No other reason. The war's over now…hopefully we can find these children new homes…" Syria said. She decided to leave out her part in said resistance, including a string of futile battles, incredible stress, and rotten boyfriends.

"Well that is our problem Miss Syria. We need to fund those orphanages because the Tarlos are nowhere near as kind as your race! Adoptions are virtually non-existent! So is funding for them! If we don't do something, those children will either starve, die of disease, or be sold into the sickening underground that provides so much of the Tarlos' business! We have to do it, because those filthy Tarlos won't!"

The female Roes' words set off a chain reaction of criticisms as the various women moaned on how terrible the Tarlos were. Syria stared at them. She felt bile begin to rise in her throat.

__

I'm beginning to wish we hadn't killed Malleus, Emporer, or Torchixstra. I could really use a revenge-seeking villain about now!

Lyre was not having the problems Tynzien and Syria were having. The military people he was sitting with were far more interested in hearing his experiences as a fellow soldier then speaking of the lofty social affairs that were so aggravating to Tynzien and Syria. Lyre was happy to oblige. He loved a good tale himself. At the moment he was telling the story of his fight with Koola.

"At this point he tried to whip me with his tail, but I grabbed it and hurled him through some of his computers. He tried to blast me, but I was too quick and was swiftly on him again, raining down fists…" Lyre said, as he used various motions to describe his fight. The Roe soldiers listened in great interest. It wasn't every day you met a warrior who had survived a battle with one of the feared Transformer-Jins.

"He plastered me with a punch, but I was far from done, as I redoubled my efforts…"

Tynzien was remembering the time Century had had to give him a root canal. It had occurred to him because as unpleasant as it had been, it was nowhere near how unpleasant this entire situation had become.

Century had been off. The Roes didn't just dislike the Tarlos. They HATED the Tarlos. It seemed every other comment was an insult or a criticism. Frankly, Tynzien was getting sick of it. They had insulted his race, but all they knew about them was their reputation and a lone attack on their planet. That could explain a negative opinion. Lack of information was usually the cause of it.

But the Roes had lived beside the Tarlos for centuries. To have such a hatred for them…there must have been a deep wound. Tynzien decided he may as well try and probe it. It probably couldn't hurt any worse.

"Excuse me…if I may interrupt…" Tynzien said loudly. "Is it really fair to say such things? The Tarlos aren't exactly here to defend themselves…"

"Wouldn't do them much good! They'd just grunt and assume we knew what they were saying!" Kastor replied. More laughter. Tynzien rolled his eyes. _Ok, what I was able to tell from my brief meeting with those Tarlos wasn't much, but they aren't all brain-dead Cro-Magnon's, or whatever the Tarlos were in their pre-evolution state._

"But…why insult them so much? What did they do? Did a Tarlos kill your family or something?" Tynzien replied, deciding it would be best if he were blunt. His question seemed to dull Kastor's good mood somewhat, but he did not get angry.

"……….You really don't know much, do you?" Kastor said.

"I will confess some ignorance on the workings of this place." Tynzien replied.

"Kastor, I am sure our guest is not very interested in…" Xalmer said, trying to defuse a potential situation.

"He asked Xalmer. I will answer." Kastor said. "Tynzien, the Tarlos are barbaric. While we work in honesty to get our money and comforts, the Tarlos have virtually no honest industry. All their money comes from criminal activity! Virtually every one of them is a criminal or employed by one. Their "police" force is a total joke, as virtually all of them are in various people's pockets. And their "mayor" hasn't been honest in the past three hundred years! It's disgusting! We have to live next door to a society of hooligans, theieves, murdereres, rapists, sadists, and madmen!"

__

But how much of that is true and how much of that is propaganda? Tynzien wanted to ask, but he didn't get the chance as Kastor went on.

"Some of them have been smart and have come into our society to work for us. And before you decry that, I will tell you it is far better then what usually awaits you in that den of depravity. If you don't get involved in their vast underground network, you may be able to eak out a meager living in one of their few enterprises, but it's not likely. More likely you'll starve, or die in one of those barbaric blood sports they hold to entertain their bloodthirsty rabble, or worst of all, you'll be sold into the underground. Serving our food and making our beds is nothing compared to what will happen to you if you become the property of their main "industry"!" Kastor said in a torrent of vile, saying the word "industry" the last time like it was the dirtiest of words.

Tynzien was silent. Once again he was stuck with questions on how much of this was true and how much of this was not.

"Well I…" Tynzien began.

"And if that is not enough, look who they respect most of all! Who they revere as someone special! The people we remember have all been philosophers and writers. Who do they worship as a living legend? That sadistic maniac known as Zarbon! He works for that psychotic despot Freiza, a being with such immense power he can destroy planets on a whim, and of so little sanity he has done that, many times! He even destroyed your planet!"

"I know." Tynzien said quietly.

"Is that not enough for you to understand? The Tarlos, they are…are…"

"Evil?" Tynzien offered.

"…….Yes!"

Tynzien blinked.

"Kastor…in my travels I have encountered many beings…and I have encountered evil. Perhaps the Tarlos are as decadent and amoral as you say…but I find it is best not to judge before you have walked a mile in their shoes, lest history record you as the fool…"

"Oh what do you know anyway!?!"

The reply had not come from Kastor, nor had it come from Xalmer. It was a previously unheard voice in the conversation. Tynzien turned towards it.

In the time he had chosen to remain silent, the Roe had gotten very close to Tynzien, and as Tynzien saw him he took the last few staggering gaits needed to get close to him. Tynzien was hit with a foul wash of odors, one prevailing among them. _Alcohol._

"You tell us we shouldn't judge the Tarlos…you, a saiya-jin?" the Roe slurred. He was obviously very very drunk.

"Kastor, Trilax has become inebriated again! I thought we agreed this would not be allowed to happen!" Xalmer whispered angerily to Kastor, as Trilax reeled and tried to get his next words out. Tynzien was staring at him in confusion.

"What was I supposed to do, Xalmer? Watch him all the time? Why didn't you get one of the servants to do it?"  
"You think I trust those Tarlos to keep a promise?"

"Your species…did things that are just as bad as the Tarlos! You should be on your hands and knees thanking whatever foul god your species worshipped that you should be allowed in here with us! I swear I could smell your stench everywhere! So don't tell us what we should do!"

Tynzien's eyes flashed green.

"In fact, you know what I think…" Trilax said, as he drunkeningly thrust his face into Tynzien's. The stench of alcohol became overpowering.

"It's too bad they exiled you. It would have been far better if you'd stayed. It would be one less worry that your species has been wiped out…as it should have been."

Syria was trying not to lose her temper.

She had been stupid. She had decided to talk about herself. She should have known her tales of fighting and war wouldn't have gone over well with her audience. She could tolerate dislike for her past, but what the Roes had done had angered her even more. They had launched a flood of…_sympathy._

"You poor girl. Forced to fight amongst all those…soldiers and brigandes!" one of them had said, like it was the worst fate she could imagine. And Syria could imagine it was…for her pampered and shielded mind. But to her…it was her life. It might not have been the cleanest one, or the most painless one, or the best one, but it was her life nonetheless.

"You should stay with us during your stay here Syria. We can show you all the things you've missed!" another said. As the other Roe women tittered agreement, Syria curled the hand she had concealed under the table into a fist.

"Indeed, you'll be a true and proper lady when you leave! Think of how much more pleasant it will be then."

That did it. She was going to deck one of them, consequences be damned.

Fortunately, she never got the chance, as there was a sudden explosion of movement and racket behind her. Syria whirled in her chair along with all the other Roe women, who took one look and began to gasp and moan in shock and fear.

Tynzien had a Roe pinned to the wall, one hand wrapped around the bird creature's slender neck, pressing the wings out in what looked to be a rather unpleasant fashion. His hair was now a crackling shimmering gold like the curtains he had been admiring some time ago. Golden energy flowed around him as he glared at the Roe he held with murderous hate.

It was about this time that Syria realized Tynzien was going to kill him.

Getting shoved across the room and smashed into a wall at high speed can have a very sobering effect on people. The fact that you are being held by a furious saiya-jin did the rest, as Trilax stared at Tynzien with stark, cold fear.

"Tynzien!"

And then Syria and Lyre were on the saiya-jin, trying to pull his arm away from the Roe. It was futile. In his Super Saiya-jin state, Tynzien was far stronger then the other two, and all they could do was push and pull.

"Tynzien, my friend, it is not worth it!" Lyre hissed as he powered up in another attempt to move Tynzien.

Tynzien held his glare.

And then the power surging around him faded, although his hair remained gold and his grip held. Tynzien put his face close to Trilax's, looking deep into his terrified eyes.

"_YOU KNOW NOTHING."_ Tynzien hissed.

And he dropped Trilax on the ground like so much garbage. He took a step back, and Syria and Lyre let go as his tense muscles relaxed, the gold colour fading as his hair slumped down. Trilax took one last look, and then promptly passed out.

"You ok Tyn?" Syria asked.

"……………Yeah. I just lost my temper." Tynzien replied. Xalmer was approaching the trio.

"I am so sorry Tynzien…Trilax has a habit of getting inebriated at every party. He has done embarrassing things before…but this…I am…"

'Save it Xalmer. I get it. He was drunk out of his mind." Tynzien said quietly. "All the same…I think I'd better be going."

And before Xalmer could say anything else Tynzien spun on his heel and walked out of the room, pushing past the servants who were bringing in new trays of food. They looked at the departing saiya-jin in confused interest.

Syria glanced at Xalmer, which was more of a dirty look then anything else, and then headed after the saiya-jin. Lyre watched them go.

"Do you wish to depart to, or are you willing to help me do damage control?" Xalmer asked Lyre. Lyre turned his gaze to the Roe.

"What?"

"You know Tynzien far better then I. It think it would be best to assure the witnesses of this little spectacle that it was just an isolated incident and not something he does on a daily basis."

"I can assure you it is, but your friend there is lucky." Lyre said, indicating the unconscious Roe who was being removed by servants. "Tynzien understands that he was emboldened and stupened by drink. Had he said those things to Tynzien sober and aware…I do not think he would have a head anymore." 

Tynzien stalked down the hallway, trying to keep his fury from bubbling to the surface again. His eyes flashed green twice, and his hair perked up once more, but eventually he was able to swallow the rage. It didn't change his stance though, and various Tarlos and Roe servants hurried to get out of his way as he stalked his way to wherever he was planning to go, even though even he didn't know where that was.

"Eh, if it hadn't have been you, it would have been me." Syria said as she fell into step beside Tynzien. Tynzien glanced over to her and immediately felt calmer.

"Really? They were that bad?"

"They're so enamoured with this "holier then thou" mindset! They acted like my being a fighter was the worst thing ever! It drove me bonkers! Just because it's all you know doesn't mean its right! Well, its my life, they don't want it, and I sure don't want theirs." Syria said.

Tynzien glowered. Syria's problems had raised his hackles again.

"At least they concentrated on you. They decided to smear my entire race for their amusement. Do you know what that bastard said to me, drunk or not? He lumped me in with all the other bloodthirsty monsters of my race! How dare he! How dare he pass such judgement on my race and myself…"

"Yes, when such judgement should only be left to you, hmmm?" Syria interrupted.

Tynzien tried to reply, but then he realized what Syria had said and stopped when he realized the truth of her words.

"You revile them perhaps more then anyone, Tyn. Perhaps you should not be so angry when others do so without knowing you." Syria said, and patted Tynzien's shoulder in a friendly gesture. "We're not used to the rich. For all my complaining…its what they know. All we can do is hope to change their minds for the better…if our mindset is the better one. Who knows? Certainly I don't, I'm just a dumb kid." Syria said, shrugging and smirking.

"…….Maybe. Still…well…eh, maybe Lyre will enlighten them. He's got less of a temper….I just hope he doesn't bust out some stupid observation like "The best thing about your wings is that they aren't made of used coffee grinders" or some other nonsense." Tynzien said, as he brushed off Syria's arm and headed off down the hallway.

"Where ya going, Tyn?"

"Someplace other then here, I think I need to avoid the Roes for a bit…and for the last time stop calling me that." Tynzien said as he disappeared around the corner.

"Not on your life, buddy boy." Syria said to the hallway, and left to find the dessert cart. After the sour turn of events at the party, she needed something sweet.

Lyre was proving to be far more popular then Tynzien. Unlike the saiya-jin, his race did not have a galaxy-wide bad reputation, and Lyre did the rest by proving to be a crisp and distinguished speaker. Soon he was speaking to Kastor, Xalmer, and their friends on various political issues. Most, as usual, centered around the Tarlos. At least the mocking hate had died down, but it was still clear the winged race was not fond of their green neighbors.

"That upcoming convention worries me Xalmer. The crime rate in the Tarlos' section has always been high, as you know, but this year is even worse. I fear for my safety." Kastor said. Lure arched an eyebrow.

"A convention?"

"Yes, every now and then we have to meet with the few political figures the Tarlos have…msot of them are criminals themselves, but that's not the point. We have to keep our contracts updated…"

"Kastor, the Namek is not aware of our business dealings."

"It is not complicated. This place was originally just a mining colony for our planet…then we discovered that certain areas have a special kind of soil mixed in with the sand that, if irrigated, give a very bountiful crop. However, water is nearly nonexistent on this planet, so we had to spend great sums to purchase it. Then the Tarlos showed up looking for a new home after theirs was ruined. We should have turned them away…but you see, they had technology that could transmute hydrogen and oxygen easily. So we let them stay here. We provide them their food and shelter, they help grow the food and…although this sickens me…they protect us as well."

"I see…but if that is such the case, why don't you at least try to get along?" Lyre asked.

"It's not that simple Lyre! We are so…and they are so…" Xalmer exclaimed. Lyre sighed inwardly. These situations were always complicated. Everyone wanted to accuse and no one wanted to listen. It was basically the same thing that made him keep his silence and ignore the change in his previous companions until it was too late. Now he was alone.

But perhaps…he could use that experience. Despite their arrogant nature, Lyre sensed they were ultimately good people, and until he saw otherwise, he would assume the same of the Tarlos.

He just had to make _them_ realize it. Because if each side kept hating the other without really knowing _why_ they were, it could only end in tragedy.

Lyre had been through that. He didn't like it. He doubted they would either.

Maybe he could do nothing.

But he would try.

Tynzien walked down the long paved street, kicking a rock he had found, paying attention to the rock and little else. Various Roes stared at him, but they kept their distance. The only instance was when a couple of Roes, who appeared to be children, flew up to him and around him, staring at him. Tynzien stared back. Eventually they flew away giggling, as if they found his countenance and features funny.

After that it was back to the rock, until a hand stopped him by touching him on his shoulder. Tynzien looked up to see a Roe soldier holding him. Tynzien didn't recognize him, but the Roe seemed to. Perhaps he had been with the attack party that had investigated Tynzien.

"Um sir…I just thought you should know…once you go through that door, you'll be in the Tarlos section of Fravlor."

Tynzien looked up. Indeed, he had been so focussed on the rock he had been kicking that he had failed to notice the massive gate in front of him, part of a section of thick white stone that extended each way as far as Tynzien could see.

"I see soldier. Why should I be warned?"

"Well…that section can be very dangerous sir. You may walk in and never come out." The guard said, trying to sound as foreboding as possible. Tynzien smirked.

"I think I'll be all right soldier. You are relieved of any responsibility you might have by letting me go in there." Tynzien said. The guard looked relieved.

"There's a small door in the gate for people. I'll open it." The guard said, and vanished into a building before Tynzien could say otherwise. Tynzien shrugged and headed towards the gate, leaving the rock behind.

He found the door easy enough, and opened it with a creaking noise that grated on his ears. He glanced back at the several Roe guards who were now standing on alert, and then he left them behind as he shut the door. If they had been guarding against a possible threat, it hadn't materialized.

Tynzien looked around.

The sections were definitely different. Instead of large houses there were closely packed square buildings, none of which looked clean. Graffiti decorated just about every surface it could, most of it bizarre art and language Tynzien couldn't understand. The streets were littered with garbage, but not that much. The air smelled relatively normal to him. So the supposed stench was a Roe thing.

Tynzien slowly walked down the street, looking around, trying to see if what the Roes said were true. He didn't see any drug deals, or people holding up old ladies, or young punks gang-beating someone. What he mostly saw were people sitting outside on steps or on balconies, either chatting with companions or just sitting. Had Tynzien been familiar with Earth history, he might have linked the scene to how the section of New York known as Harlem might have appeared in a movie.

The Tarlos didn't pay too much attention to Tynzien, although a few looked at him. Tynzien figured that if most of the society was involved in criminal activity, they probably had alien clients. Strange faces weren't that uncommon. Which was good, he guessed.

There was one Tarlos woman standing at a corner, and despite the naiveté he sometimes showed Syria, Tynzien knew from the way she dressed that she was probably conducting her own kind of business. She was attractive enough, for an alien, and she gave Tynzien a seductive glance as he passed, obviously liking what she saw. Tynzien responded with a gesture that he lacked funds, and the girl swiftly lost interest. Tynzien continued on. He was sure she would find a client.

So far, he had seen nothing terribly wrong with the city. Perhaps all the bad things were taking place inside, or in the alleyways. There certainly were a lot of alleyways (did criminals run the architectural business as well?). Tynzien had no desire to explore them. He'd just find trouble.

Music began floating to him, and Tynzien soon saw why. Up ahead a set of stairs was occupied by a group of seven or eight Tarlos youth, clustered around some kind of device that played music (Earth people might have likened it to a stereo). The music was fast and had a heady beat, and if it had words Tynzien couldn't make them out. The kids were taking turns stepping in front of their fellow youth and doing a few dance steps, although the way some of them flopped to the ground and spun around like an out of control Capoeria user made Tynzien liken them more to dance contortions.

The latest one to do his demonstration was finishing up as Tynzien approached. The youth flipped up to his feet and saw the saiya-jin. The rest followed his gaze and looked at Tynzien. Tynzien just looked back at them. For a moment the saiya-jin and Tarlos youth stared at each other.

The music thumped on.

Then the first youth gestured to Tynzien. Tynzien stared for a second before he realized the youth was inviting him to dance. Tynzien rolled his eyes. _What the hell._

So Tynzien tried to mimic some of the dance moves he had seen the youth doing. He got about three seconds before he fell flat on his face.

The youths began to snicker and chuckle, as Tynzien got up with a cross look. _Ok, one more time!_

This time he lasted four seconds.

The youths were now howling with laughter as Tynzien got up, muttering and clutching his sore nose.

"Hey buddy, you're ok." The first youth said, slapping Tynzien's hand.

"Maybe…but I think I'll leave the dancing to you." Tynzien said, and moved on as some youths continued their chuckling. They watched Tynzien a bit more and then got back to dancing.

Tynzien walked on, rubbing his sore nose. Eventually the music faded and Tynzien's ears pricked up at another sound. The sound of raucous cheering. It was faint, but Tynzien had good hearing, and he followed it easily. He soon found the source.

It was a very large building, but it almost vibrated from the noises coming from within it. The only apparent entrance was a large door covered with a dirty black sackcloth split down the middle. Tynzien stared at it.

He could sense…combat.

Intrigued, Tynzien headed for the entrance, keeping his eye open for anyone who might serve as a detractor or detainer. He met no one, and he easily slipped between the folds and found himself in a dimly lit hallway that ended in what appeared to be an opening. Tynzien could see people around the opening. The noise washed over him, even louder then before. Maybe the entrance wasn't covered with sackcloth, because whatever it was, it was a very effective sound deterrent.

A stray thought flashed back to Tynzien.

__

…or die in one of those barbaric blood sports they hold to entertain their bloodthirsty rabble…

Perhaps that was what this was. But that warning was very vague. What kind of blood sports? Combat? Weapons? Throwing some helpless civilian to a hungry beast, like that Graloup Tynzien had killed earlier?

Tynzien frowned and headed for the entrance. If it was something like the last idea that had occurred to him, he wasn't going to let it happen much longer. Oh no.

Tynzien strode through the entrance.

It was a small circular arena built inside the building, and Tarlos were everywhere, all ages and both sexes, all making noise. Tynzien tried to find out what they were cheering for. In a moment he did.

In the middle of the arena was a lowered platform with a hard stone floor and retaining barricades around the circle so the crowd couldn't get into the arena. In the arena were two beings.

One was a huge Tarlos, with muscles on his muscles and a short haircut, almost a crew cut. The shock of hair was slick with sweat, and the pants and vest the Tarlos wore were damp with perspiration. He had a nasty, contented look on his face, and he danced in place and punched the air a few times for the crowd. The crowd whooped their…well, whatever gave them satisfaction with this Tarlos. Tynzien headed down the stairs to get a closer look, pushing aside various Tarlos. Most took no notice, but some did realize that Tynzien was not one of them. A few began to whisper.

Tynzien could see the other being now, and he looked like the exact opposite of what should be in a fighting ring. He was thin, frail, and lanky, with virtually no muscle tone. He was trying to get to his feet, but it was obvious from his stance and injuries it wasn't happening any time soon. It was like an accountant picking a fight with a bouncer, with the expected outcome.

"OH MY!" A voice suddenly boomed over the whole arena. Tynzien jumped. "That was even more unpleasant then I expected! What a beating! Looks like we'll have to scrape him off the mat!"

Two more Tarlos entered the arena. They weren't as big as Crewcut, but they were of a fair size, and certainly bigger then the "accountant". They reached the frail Tarlos, hooked their arms under his, and began dragging him away.

"NO! PLEASE! GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE! I'LL…" The Tarlos wailed before he was pulled from the arena. The crowd laughed and jeered at him. Tynzien felt slightly sick as he settled into an observer position. Now the Tarlos around him started to notice the alien. They did not say anything, but if Tynzien had noticed their eyes they would have become uncomfortable.

"Well, so much for that one! How many wins is that in a row, Brutuz?" the unseen announcer said. "800? 900?"

"1000!" The newly named Brutuz roared. The crowd roared back. They seemed pretty fond of the huge Tarlos.

"Yes…so, who is next? Who wishes to challenge the undefeated Brutuz? You could win 10,000 _Clinny!_" the announcer said. Tynzien's brow arched. _What in the blue hell is Clinny? Their money? Where's Century when I need her?_

"None can defeat me! Not one! I am unstoppable!" Brutuz roared, somehow being heard over the crowd.

Tynzien snorted in disdain, so loud the people around him heard it. They began their own whispering. Tynzien didn't notice.

"Ah, we have a new challenger! Ladies and gentleman…YEAH RIGHT!" the announcer said. The crowd apparently thought this was very funny, and laughed. "Please welcome…Dundas!"

Another Tarlos came from some concealed entrance out into the arena. He definitely looked more imposing then the Accountant Tynzien had seen being dragged away, but Brutaz still dwarfed him. He raised his hand and did his own masculine yells. Some people cheered, others booed, and others laughed.

"You know the rules…THEY AREN'T ANY!" the announcer bellowed. "Until one man is down and out…BEGIN!"

And with the announcer's final word, a bell rang.

Brutaz and Dundas immediately charged at each other and began slamming each other with huge meaty fists. Tynzien snorted in disdain again. It was pure brutality, with no refinement or grace. It bored him.

"They call them fighters?" Tynzien muttered disdainfully. Unfortunately, Tynzien's previous actions had reached certain ears. And there were now people in the crowd who had been sent to listen to the alien.

Brutaz threw a kick Tynzien could have dodged in his sleep. Dundas didn't, and he paid for it as the massive limb slammed into him, staggering him.

"Sloppy." Tynzien muttered. Brutaz wasn't unstoppable. He was a big musclehead with no fighting ability except to pummel anything in front of him. Tynzien had spent his whole life refining his ability, and the way Brutaz fought almost made him sick. It was so…_pointless_.

__

Torchixstra dwarfed HIM, and he fought with 100 times the grace this guy's showing…it ain't just size, its ability…

And then the fight was over, as Brutaz laced together his massive fists and smashed Dundas across the face. Dundas crumpled. A bell rang, and Brutaz raised his arms in victory again.

"That was one of the most pathetic things I've ever seen." Tynzien said, not expecting to be heard over the crowd. 

He was heard.

And other quickly heard what he had said.

And others.

And others, until it finally made it all the way back to the people who had sent the original moles.

Tynzien sighed. He'd had enough. He'd best be heading back…

Massive hands suddenly clamped under his armpits.

"What the…"

"Wanna diss the champ, eh? Then why don't you say it to his face?" a voice said in his ear, and then Tynzien found himself flying through the air and into the arena.

Far up in the stands, two Tarlos sat on the very top row of the available seating and watched the fights.

"Hah! Brutaz again! That man just can't be beat! You think he could be the next Retiree?" the male Tarlos said. He was tall, muscular, and greasy. His hair resembled a long dead Earth artist who had been known as "The King", and he wore the Tarlos equivalent of jeans, a T-shirt, and a long dirty coat that was covered with stitches. He wasn't ugly, but there was an aura about him that generated a strong feeling of dislike.

The Tarlos female who was his companion slowly looked at him. There was no doubting her visage though. She was beautiful, with features that seemed to have been meticulously painted on her face by a master of the art. Her long green hair cascaded down her shoulders and past her back, managing to look perfectly natural in what other women would have to pay a fortune to achieve. She was tall and slim, wearing a skin-tight dress that was cut low and high, showing off as much of the female's flesh as possible. She was truly a sight to behold.

But her eyes told a different story. None of the beauty shone out from them. Instead, there was a meek broken look, a look that somehow combined fear, surrender, respect, and apathy. She managed to look like she didn't care and that she was terrified at the same time as she looked at the male Tarlos.

"Maybe." She said, dropping the sound out like a wad of spit before she turned back to watch as Brutuz did his thing.

The male Tarlos looked like he was about to say something else, but he didn't get the chance as another Tarlos suddenly ran up and whispered something in his ear. A smirk spread over his features, and he leaned back to the female.

"Jezebelle, we are about to have a treat!"

Jezebelle looked over to her companion, her eyes now showing some questioning on the nature of this "treat".

Then movement caught her eyes, and she turned back to look as a form flew into the arena and came crashing down onto the stone. She looked at it inquisitively.

"Some alien came in here, which was stupid, but then he started insulting Brutuz! Out loud! Well, I'm afraid Ryner didn't take to that too well, so he got his men to give the alien a face to face meeting with Brutuz, since he doesn't seem to be very fond of him."

The alien was now getting to his feet, shaking his head and brushing dust off his outfit. Jezebelle stared at him as he looked around, as if he was trying to figure out what was going on.

Her companion was still talking, but Jezebelle kept her eyes on the alien. There was something so…_noble_ about him, even in the action of picking himself up after being thrown on his face. It seemed so out of place in the arena, filled with noise and bloodlust and a overall feeling of viciousness. 

This alien was so…special.

"Hey! Jezebelle!" the male was saying to her. Her countenance changed immediately from quiet pondering to frightened deer as she snapped her gaze to meet her companion's. If he got mad at her…

"You've got a knack for these things, although why _you_ would have it is beyond me. How much should I bet on Brutuz? How quick do you think he can pummel that alien into paste? I've never seen him mad before, but damn, he looks mad!"

Indeed, Brutuz was stalking towards the alien. Apparently someone had informed him of the comments made against him, and he was planning to rectify them.

Jezebelle stared again. While Brutuz exuded anger and savageness, the alien stood there calmly, looking as if he saw huge angry green men who wanted to pummel him all the time. Jezebelle took in his armor, and his calm controlled stance.

And she knew. Somehow, she knew.

"Bet it all." She said.

"Ok!"

"On the alien."

That stopped the male Tarlos in his tracks. Slowly, he turned his gaze on her. She cringed, wishing she could crawl into a hole and hide.

"What?"

"Bet on the alien. There's something very…unique about him, very powerful. I can feel it in my bones."

"Oh you can, can you? Might I remind you that Brutuz can lift a ton and has defeated hundreds of opponents, while this alien, whom I have never seen before, has shown me no such thing! So why should I bet on him?"

"Because he's going to win."

The man stared at Jezebelle. Jezebelle had gone from wishing for a hole to praying the ground would just open up and swallow her.

"You are aware of what will happen to you if you are wrong." He replied quietly. The strong undertone of threat in his voice sent shivers through her. She hadn't wanted to doubt her judgement, but her fear was making her do it anyway.

"Yes."

'Are you _SURE_?"

"Yes."

"Still. Ok, fine." The male said, and leaned down to speak with the Tarlos sitting on the seats below him. Jezebelle couldn't make out the words, but she could see that he was arguing with them, as if they couldn't believe what he was doing. He didn't look much like he could believe it himself. After a short argument, he leaned back up.

"Since you know so well Jezebelle, why don't you tell me in what timeframe this fight will go?"

Jezebelle looked back at the alien. Brutuz was now right in his face and screaming at him in an attempt to intimidate him. The alien wasn't giving him an inch though, calmly replying to whatever Brutuz was saying to him.

Such confidence.

"Ten seconds."

Her companion's double take was considerably more pronounced this time.

"WHAT!?! Not only are you telling me to bet on the alien, you're telling me he'll beat Brutuz in LESS THEN TEN SECONDS!?!"

Now Jezebelle was cringing away from her male companion, although that didn't stop her from nodding her head. She was too scared to do anything else.

He glowered at her for a bit, and then turned back to the people he had been speaking with.

"How much will you give me for the alien…in ten seconds?"

The two burst out laughing. The male looked very angry at this.

"You really wanna lose all the money you've made so far, eh Zathiny? Ok fine. I'm a sport. I'll give you, I dunno…75-1 odds! Ha! You never struck me as stupid, buddy. Guess I was wrong." Said one of the Tarlos, and turned back to watch the fight. Zathiny sat down and glowered at Jezebelle again.

"You had better pray you are right, or I will whip you so many times there won't be any skin on your back for weeks!" he hissed.

"Yes Zathiny." Jezebelle replied quietly.

Zathiny's hand suddenly lashed out, striking Jezebelle across the face. The female recoiled from the blow and then stared at Zathiny, looking more shocked and surprised then hurt. Tears finally began to bead in her eyes.

No one else paid any attention to this.

"You never call me by my name in public! You call me Master!" Zathiny hissed.

"Yes master." Jezebelle replied in a quiet, scared tone.

And then the bell rang.

Tynzien watched as the massive mound of muscle named Brutuz headed towards him, looking as if he had just swallowed a sea urchin.

Tynzien sighed. He should have known this would happen.

"So, the little alien thinks I'm sloppy and pathetic, eh?" Brutuz said as he approached Tynzien.

"Name's Tynzien Warlock. Do you know who I am?" Tynzien replied quietly.

"Does it matter?" Brutuz chuckled. Tynzien sighed inwardly. He definitely wasn't going to get it. 

Brutuz stopped, looking down on Tynzien with rage, disdain, and sadistic joy. He fully expected to amuse himself with another punching bag. Tynzien didn't have a scouter, but he could sense enough that Brutuz's judgement was at best, erroneous.

"You're gonna find out just how good a fighter I am, little man." Brutuz said, cracking his knuckles in satisfaction.

"I already know, buddy. And fighting is so much more then just slamming your limbs against something."

"Oh really? You mean like…THIS?"

And then Brutuz arched his fist up and slammed it down against the floor. The stone shattered from the blow. Chuckling low in his throat, Brutuz withdrew his fist.

"Beginning to regret your words, Tynzien? Don't worry, you won't get a chance to say anything else for a while."

Tynzien glanced at the shattered floor, and then back at Brutuz. His lack of reaction was beginning to get on Brutuz's nerves.

"I'll give you this chance to back out Brutuz."

Brutuz's beady little eyes stared at Tynzien, and then he threw back his head and roared laughter. It echoed all over the arena, somehow being heard over the noise of the crowd.

And in said crowd, a figure peered through a hood, looking at Tynzien. He licked his lips.

"Hmmmmm…I wonder…"

Brutuz kept laughing. Tynzien stared on, snapping his head quickly to one side to avoid a piece of vegetable matter being thrown at him.

"I am going to enjoy this even more then I thought." Brutuz said.

"People, this alien challenger believes he is better then Brutuz! I think we must see the error of his ways, don't we?" the announcer suddenly bellowed.

"Last chance Brutuz." Tynzien said quietly.

"I'm going to keep your tongue as a trophy." Brutuz replied.

"BEGIN!"

The bell rang, as Brutuz drew back his arm and fired off his mightiest punch at Tynzien.

All he hit was air, as Tynzien's image blurred away and vanished just before Brutuz's fist went through where he had been standing.

"Huh?" Brutuz said in confusion.

His ears picked up the sound behind him, and he turned as Tynzien reappeared behind him, drawing back his leg.

And then Tynzien lashed out with a reverse hook kick, smashing Brutuz across the face. Brutuz could only make a small grunt of surprise as he flew through the air, smashing right through the barricades surrounding the arena. He only stopped when he hit the roof, falling down and hitting the floor near the highest seats with a loud thud. Seeing stars for the first time in his life and his broken jaw aching, Brutuz rolled his eyes and passed out.

Tynzien slowly floated down to absolute silence. The crowd was in total and absolute shock. You could hear a pin drop.

"Like I said, pathetic. But they never listen." Tynzien said.

The crowd said nothing in return.

Tynzien greatly preferred it that way.

Zathiny's bookie could only stare with the same shock. His companion and Zathiny himself shared his look. Only Jezebelle didn't look surprised. She looked vindicated.

"How long was that?" Zathiny finally said.

The bookie's friend numbly stopped the stopwatch he had been using. He looked at it.

"……….7.6 seconds."

A wide grin split Zathiny's face. He leaned over and pulled Jezebelle close.

"I love you!" he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Now wait a minute, that couldn't be a fair bet…" the bookie said.

And then a voice rang out amongst the still quiet Tarlos.

Tynzien was waiting for the crowd to come to its senses and most likely start booing him when he heard it.

"Hey, not bad! But how much of it was luck and how much was skill?"

And then a blur of movement came as a figure suddenly leap out of the audience and spiraled down into the arena, a whirring blaze of green. It landed perfectly and stood up. All Tynzien could see was the green cloak the figure wore, the heavy hood concealing his face.

The crowd began to murmur at the arrival of this stranger. Even the announcer and bouncers who had tossed Tynzien into the ring were confused on what to do.

Then the figure reached up and pulled the hood back.

A static charge seemed to pass through the crowd as another Tarlos was unvealed. A young handsome Tarlos with free-flowing green hair.

Tynzien stared, trying to place the face. It took him a few seconds to realize this was the Tarlos that had headed the group of warriors that had nearly come to blows with Xalmer and co. 

__

I'll let your suffer with the Roes for now…how prophetic.

"It's Zarven!"

And the whole crowd erupted in a cheer that put Brutuz's to shame. Zarven, as Tynzien assumed his name was, raised an arm from underneath his cloak and saluted them.

"Oh my! What an unexpected twist! From out of the crowd comes the man known as the Retiree! The only undefeated fighter in the history of this arena, and many others! The almighty ZARVEN!" the announcer bellowed, playing up the arrival for all it was worth.

Zarven motioned, and the crowd grew quiet.

"My people…did you not see who this is? This is the saiya-jin who arrived on Locustus earlier today!" Zarven said. His dramatic tone, clearly quite practiced, elicited more then a few gasps. He knew how to play a crowd.

But…he definitely had a different aura then Brutuz. This was actually a warrior.

"Brutuz did not heed this, and look what happened to him! His stupidity has humiliated us, and our people! Therefore, I ask that for one lone match, you lift my restriction from arena combat and let me avenge his loss!" Zarven yelled in the same dramatic tone. The crowd roared its approval. They clearly wanted to see Zarven fight.

"Well…Zarven, the saiya-jin were known as the warriors of the universe! They were considered the finest fighters of all! Do you think even your vast skill and power can match theirs?" the announcer asked. There was a storm of people yelling "Yes!"

"I am so confident I can…I will add 5000 of my own Clinny!" Zarven said, reaching under his cloak and throwing a small bag at the announcer, who was finally revealed to be standing on a raised platform at one of the arena corners. The announcer caught it.

"Very well! For one night only, we shall see the return of Zarven, as he battles this upstart saiya-jin!"

The loudest cheer yet, which hurt Tynzien's ears. Zarven continued his dramatics, as he turned back to Tynzien and tossed off his cloak. He's taken off the damaged and broken armour he'd worn with the army, and was left with blue pants and a skintight white shirt. He had a body built like Tynzien's, not overly large but with very good muscle tone.

"Holy shit! We're gonna see Zarven fight! I never thought I'd see this!" Zathiny said in a rush. Jezebelle didn't say anything, as she looked back and forth between the two.

She'd heard of Zarven. He was the son of the current mayor/ruler of the Tarlos section of Fravlor, and at a young age he was on the same path as Zarbon. His name was even inspired by their hero Zarbon, and it had seemed to be fitting as Zarven had proven to be a prodigy at fighting. At the young age of twenty-six, he led the Tarlos armed forces in all important battles, and he had won so many arena battles they had finally banned him from competing, hence him being known as "The Retiree". If he had been fighting anyone else, she would be assured of a quick and simple victory for him.

But…this saiya-jin…she could not shake the feelings she had of him. To her, he just seemed to radiate something extraordinary. And not just in combat. It was if she could see a light shining within him.

A true savage noble.

"Jezebelle!"

"Yes Za…Master?"

"You were right last time. So, do you think the saiya-jin has a chance…or what? Will Zarven crush him?"

"No." Jezebelle said, surprised at her own abrupt reply.

"Well then…Zarven or the saiya-jin?"

"………….."

"Jezebelle, I need an answer now, not next week!"

"The saiya-jin!"

The crowd around Jezebelle fell silent at her sudden cry. Zathiny stared quizzingly at her. Jezebelle swallowed, fearing another outburst of violence.

"Ok then. Bet it all on the saiya-jin! Even if it's against the Retiree."

"Me too!"

"I've got nothing to lose, I'll place my bet as well!"

And as Zathiny's bookie and bet maker was deluged by various Tarlos demanding to bet on the saiya-jin. Zathiny thought back with hard eyes. If he lost…

Most of the other bet makers did not experience what Zathiny's had. They bet on Zarven.

Then the bell rang, and all bets were literally off.

"So, you think you're a skilled warrior?" Zarven said to Tynzien, as he did a few stretches.

Tynzien smirked. Zarven was definitely a warrior, and unlike Brutuz, he possessed no sadistic cruelty or bloodlust with his combat power. He wasn't a pure soul, but he wasn't evil either. He was just…a warrior.

The smirk widened into a contented grin. Brutuz had been a waste of his time, but this was a definitely a fight. He'd enjoy this.

"Some have said so." Tynzien replied, cracking his neck. "So, what's with you being called the Retiree? Aren't you a bit young to be retired?"

"They call me that for two reasons. One, because I had to quit fighting in these because I never lost, and two, I made plenty of others quit. And I do mean plenty."

Zarven finished his stretches and struck a combat pose.

"So, looking to add another notch to your belt?" Tynzien said, and slowly slid into an appropriate counter position.

"We'll see, won't we? But I certainly think I can beat you."

"As do I."

"Fighters ready!" The announcer yelled. "Now, let this fight…BEGIN!"

The bell rang.

"After you." Zarven said.

"Oh no, after YOU." Tynzien replied.

Zarven's only reply was to smirk.

Then he blasted forward as white flame enveloped him. Tynzien could barely believe his speed before Zarven slammed a knee into his face.

Tynzien flew backwards in an out of control spin, slamming against the arena wall so hard it shattered and nearly collapsed. But Tynzien recovered almost instantly and pistoned himself off the wall in an explosion of blue flame. With a yell, Tynzien spun and smashed Zarven with a roundhouse, and it was the Tarlos' turn to go crashing into a wall. 

Tynzien landed, wiping blood from his nose. Zarven pulled himself from the wall and wiped away his own blood which had begun to leak from the corner of his mouth. He nodded with a quasi-wicked look on his face, a look that said. "Pretty good, but not as good as me."

Tynzien shared the same look.

Zarven snapped out his hand and fired a purple ki blast. Tynzien whacked it aside and it blew up a section of the floor as he zapped at Zarven. Zarven snapped his head to the side to avoid Tynzien's punch and drove his knee into Tynzien's chest, then punched him with a cracking hook. Tynzien staggered back but countered with a snapping roundhouse that drove Zarven backwards as well. Zarven snarled and leapt backwards, bound off the wall and then zapping down into Tynzien, driving a forearm against his forehead. Tynzien started to fall, but he kept the presence of mind to reach up and grab Zarven, using the Tarlos' own momentum by hurling him over his head. Zarven bounced along the arena floor as Tynzien flipped back to his feet and hurled a ki ball after him. Zarven did one final bounce and then instantly regained control, snapping up his leg at the last minute and kicking the ki ball right back at Tynzien. Tynzien's eyes widened, but he managed to hold up his hand and stop his own blast, dispersing it as Zarven landed on his feet with a toss of his head and a wave of his hair.

"Fancy."

"Just you wait."

The two blurred away, and the arena rang with cracking blows as the two punched and kicked at each other, trying to find a weakness in the defenses of the other.

Then Tynzien hit the floor hard, thrown down by a mighty blow. He shoved himself into the air and away just before Zarven came crashing down where he had just been. The ground exploded, and Tynzien was consumed with smoke.

Fans started up in the arena and blew the smoke away as Zarven emerged from the crater he had made.

"Shall we take the kid gloves off now, saiya-jin?" Zarven said, and with that he set his legs and clenched his fists. With a low growl he began to power up, and blue and green energy beams flew around him as a windstorm whipped through the entire arena.

"Heh." Tynzien said. "Kaioken."

The blood-red flame exploded around Tynzien, sizzling away at the stone beneath his feet. Zarven looked suitable impressed, but it didn't stop him from attacking.

Tynzien caught his leg and tried to throw him, but the Tarlos twisted and smashed his foot into Tynzien's face, and then whirled and slammed his palm into Tynzien's chest, cracking his armour. Tynzien staggered back, and Zarven was on him. Tynzien ducked under his roundhouse and his follow-up reverse roundhouse, blocked the backhand that came after that, and took advantage of the opening to drive his elbow right into the center of Zarven's abdomen. Zarven reeled backwards, clutching the arena Tynzien had struck. That one had hurt.

"Heh, nice one, but I'm not through YET!" Zarven yelled, and thrust out his hand. Multiple ki blasts spewed from each hand, and Tynzien leapt backwards to escape them. He failed and was enveloped in explosions. Zarven added one final big blast shot from both his hands, and the whole arena shook.

The fans went back to work, as Zarven stood, panting.

A shadow suddenly blanched the smoke.

Then Tynzien strolled out, his outfit torn and ripped and his armour in pieces. He paid no attention to that though. His eyes were on Zarven.

He was smiling.

Zarven looked and the saiya-jin, and couldn't help but smile back.

"Gimme your best shot."

Tynzien nodded and thrust his hands to the side.

"Heaven-Splitting Violent…"

Then Zarven blurred away.

"Stupid." A voice whispered in Tynzien's ear.

Tynzien's arm flashed down and grabbed the leg just as it was about to strike him. He rolled forward and tossed Zarven over him. Zarven flipped in mid-air and landed facing Tynzien.

And found himself looking right into Tynzien's right hand.

"Light." Tynzien finished.

The blast blew Zarven backwards, hitting the opposing wall so hard it nearly cracked in half. He fell to his knee, hacking up blood.

Tynzien took a few steps forward. The arena had been cheering and bellowing throughout the whole matchup, but once again they had gone quiet.

He waited.

Zarven's head snapped up. His eyes blazed with anger and determination.

"NO! THIS ISN'T OVER YET!"

Zarven pushed himself to his feet and charged.

"BUT IT'S OVER NOW! 11-STEP HEAVEN GLAZE **KICK!**"

Zarven's leg snapped out and caught Tynzien in the ankle, then twisted up and over and caught him in the kneecap. Those hurt, but not as much as the next four kicks as Zarven moved up his body and kicked pressure points in Tynzien's thigh, stomach, chest, and shoulder. And then his foot was snapping back and forth against Tynzien's head, crushing blows slamming him from left and right. His guard broken by the pain of the previous blows, Tynzien could only take the blows and reel from them.

"HI-YAAA!" Zarven screamed, and he finished his last kick and twisted his body up, completing the devastating move with a leaping axe kick. Tynzien's head was snapped back so violently his whole body followed. To Tynzien it all seemed to be happening in slow motion. All there seemed to be was pain and disorientation.

But in a corner of his mind, a voice screamed.

__

ATTACK! HE'S LEFT HIMSELF WIDE OPEN!

Tynzien's mind cleared, even as his body arched downward as his legs flew up and over him. He thrust his hands down. 

"KAIOKEN TIMES FIVE!"

The flame exploded around him even as he landed on his feet, and he charged, slamming his fist across Zarven's face even as the warrior came to realize he hadn't beaten Tynzien. Tynzien gave him no mercy as he hooked him in the stomach, kicked him across the face, and then leapt upward, driving his knee across Zarven's head with as much force as he could muster in the current state of the Kaioken.

And as Tynzien landed on his feet, Zarven's body spun through the air and came crashing down hard.

The crowd was dead silent.

Zarven tried to push himself up, but his arms failed him and he slid back down.

"Damn, you are good." He muttered, and then he said nothing more.

Tynzien relaxed and powered down. He could still sense Zarven's ki, as strong and defiant as he has been. He'd just been knocked out.

Somewhere, a bell rang.

"The winner…the saiya-jin? Can this be?" The announcer seemed to ask the crowd.

Tynzien figured he had better find a way out. He had a feeling that it was about to get ugly.

He didn't get the chance, as a Tarlos suddenly came running out into the arena. For a second Tynzien thought he was going to attack him, but then he saw the megaphone.

"We've been spotted!" The Tarlos yelled, and then said something in his language that Tynzien couldn't make out, mostly due to the fact he didn't have a scouter. He cursed inwardly. 

__

Hey Century! He yelled mentally as the crowd reacted to what the Tarlos had said. It was part ordered evacuation and part mass stampede, with the appearance of the latter and the effectiveness of the former. It almost seemed practiced. 

__

What? Century said back through the uplink.

__

Need a translation! What does "Sylogah Ni Fuzze, Golow Der Verdenbant" translate to?

Ugh, I hate slang! Ok, lemme see…translated roughly, it means something like…

Century's voice was suddenly drowned out as the announcer started up again.

"Those damn Roes! They must have bribed the…Oh!" The announcer said. Then the mike cut out, and Tynzien realized it hadn't been an announcement. The announcer had been talking to himself and his mike had picked it up before he turned it off.

__

As I was saying, it means something like "The group that is their equivalent of the police are coming, we must evacuate this area now."

How did he get all that in just twelve syllables?

It's not a literal translation! Anyway, you might want to get out of there Tynzien. Methinks that the police usually look the other way with things like this, but someone got annoyed at this and gave them an incentive in one of the few effective ways.

"Cold hard cash." Tynzien muttered. "Ok, I'll be right out. Just gotta do something."

But when Tynzien turned, Zarven was no longer on the floor. He had vanished. Tynzien blinked. _Must have been carried away by some friends, or maybe he got up himself. And he didn't hit me for losing. How…honorable._

Then his eyes were drawn as one of the exits Tarlos were fleeing into suddenly had a reverse flow of people. The fleeing Tarlos were suddenly speckled with Tarlos all wearing the same uniform. With a start Tynzien recognized that they were wearing the same pants as Zarven had been.

That was all the time he gave himself for observation though. As these "Authority Tarlos" or whatever they were started to head down towards the arena, pouncing on every Tarlos they could catch, Tynzien floated up to the roof and flew through an open window. He got a nice view of the Tarlos streaming out of the building and vanishing into the darkness of their city. Tynzien leapt to another roof that had a good view of the warehouse/arena, and watched.

The stream flowed to a trickle, and then stopped. Some time later another group of Tarlos came out, the Authority ones and the few of their fellows they had managed to catch. They bundled them into two large vehicles and drove off. Tynzien noted they had no sirens. Rather smart, especially if you wanted to sneak up on someone.

Once they were gone, Tynzien leapt down into the nearest alleyway. He landed on his feet and inspected his armour as he headed for the street. _Hmmpph. Nearly damaged beyond repair. That Zarven knew his stuff._ Tynzien groused as he reached the exit of the alleyway and began heading down the street.

A finger tapped on his shoulder.

Tynzien turned.

"I believe this is yours."

A bag was tossed at Tynzien. He caught it and heard the clink of various coins. He looked at the tosser.

"…Hello Zarven."

"Saiya-jin." The Tarlos replied. His left eye was starting to darken from the battle he had suffered, but it was the only thing dark about his countenance. 

"My name is Tynzien, Zarven…and what is this?"

"What you rightfully earned, Tynzien. 10,000 Clinny for beating Brutuz…and 5000 for beating me. And THAT, my fellow fighter, hurts more then anything you did to me." Zarven said. He was joking, and that amazed Tynzien.

"You're not angered you lost?"

"I would be if you had cheated or had some other kind of outside interference, but you beat me fair and square. You were just the better man…as much as my fans will deny it. But you can't be undefeated forever, I guess."

"Yes. Too bad those people broke it up. I'm always open to a rematch." Tynzien said. Zarven smirked, leaning against the alleyway wall.

"Our society isn't the cleanest one, Tynzien…but our police understand that. It's the way we are. We try to live with each other. They're there when things get really dangerous, when we have real bad apples around…this should have been nothing. But when you live next door to those birdbrains, nothing quickly turns into a whole lot of something. But I'm sure you already know that, or you wouldn't be here." The Tarlos youth said. Tynzien slowly nodded.

"Just because I'm a fighter doesn't mean I can't be astute, Tynzien. Nor does most of my people being involved in what we do. Perhaps you may not understand it, and those birdbrains sure as hell can't…but it's what we know. What I know."

Tynzien didn't reply. Instead he lifted the small brown bag and gave it a slight squeeze, almost a caress, to test the insides again. It didn't fail him, as it clinked again.

"This is Clinny?"  
"Yep, all yours. Do whatever you want with it."

Tynzien was going to reply, but his eyes caught something on the street. It was now virtually empty of Tarlos...except one lone one, sitting on the street, his head in his arms. Tynzien had just thought him a begger of some kind, until he recognized him. It was the Accountant.

"What's so interesting about that guy, Tynzien?"

Tynzien looked back at the Tarlos.

"Who is he? What was he doing…"

"In the arena? I don't know him, but I'm sure I know his story. He screwed up royally and is heavily in debt, and this was a last ditch effort to try and pay it off."

"Fighting in an arena? With a…"

'Desperate men do desperate things, Tynzien. I've seen it before. They come in hoping for a miracle. Hope for the best, but expect the worst, as they say. They get pummeled and tossed out, to whatever fate awaits them from the people they owe."

"That is?"

"They could always kill him, but there's no money in that. More likely…we'll just take him, sell him to someone…or perhaps worse for him, take someone from his family."

Tynzien looked back at the accountant and then back at Zarven.

"Buy him? Like slavery? But that's barbaric! People aren't property! You can't just…"

'But we can, Tynzien. And we do. Hey, I deplore the cruelty and vicious way such people are treated…but its what we know, Tynzien."

"Isn't your father the leader of this city?"

"Yes, but that is mostly for dealing with the Roes, and a few other small duties. Everything else…they know to stay out of it. We have had rulers who have tried to introduce reform, either for their own reasons or because someone paid them to follow their reasons. The result is always the same. Their terms were short. And their lives even shorter. My father may rule this city, Tynzien, but he knows where his bread is buttered. And when I take over, I will too."

Tynzien just stared.

"Tynzien, you're a good guy…but try not to think of this too much. Like I said. You don't know. But we do."

And with that, Zarven turned and flew off, heading back to wherever he came from. Tynzien watched him go, not sure what to make of him. He always preferred it when things were easily placed into categories. Zarven wasn't. He didn't strike him as evil or cowardly, but how could you hold that kind of attitude towards what happened to people like the Accountant without…?

Tynzien sighed. He gave the bag a toss and headed over to the Accountant. When he reached him he heard that the man was softly weeping.

"Hey."

The Accountant looked up, the lack of hope and expectation of more suffering the only thing in his eyes. He clearly expected to be disgorged from this place where he had chosen to lament his misfortune. So great was his inner torment he barely seemed to notice Tynzien was an alien.

"What'd you do?"

The Accountant stared at him, not understanding.

"You don't belong within a mile of an arena like that. You were in there. Why?"

"I…needed the money."

"For…"

The Tarlos shrank away. He was clearly ashamed.

"Let me guess. Gambling?"

The man slowly nodded. As if that was a trigger, a torrent of woe suddenly gushed from him.

"What have I done!?! I should have stopped while the debt was payable, but I was so sure I could win it back…but I failed…oh god, my daughters…how can I…"

Tynzien's stomach did a quick roll. He got the drift of what would be happening to this guy's children.

"How much?"

"What?"

"What's your debt?"

"Over 9000 Clinny…"

The bag clinked loudly as Tynzien dropped it at his feet. The man stared at it, as if it was some strange new breed of animal.

"That's 15,000. That should clear it. Just do yourself a favour and don't do this again. For your daughters, if not for you." Tynzien said.

Slowly the man picked up the bag. He opened it and poured the coins out, checking to see if they were real, and still not believing it.

"But…why?"

"I'm an alien. That's your money. What am I supposed to do with it? Throw it on the pile?" Tynzien said, and turned to leave. Behind him, he could hear the man start to cry again.

"Thank you sir! I'll never forget this! Never!"

"Don't mention it." Tynzien said with a casual wave. _Zarven may think one person can't make a difference, but that doesn't mean I have to._

Tynzien walked on, looking around. 

Then he saw her.

He'd seen some attractive Tarlos before, but the woman he had found staring at him…she was more then lovely.

From across the street, their eyes met.

And Tynzien was struck by an incredible sense of potential and purpose…and yet, a sense of terrible sadness and waste. And hovering over it all was the bitter taste of inevitability, of hopelessness.

The two stared at each other.

"Who are you?" Tynzien whispered to himself.

Jezebelle looked back at the saiya-jin, the madcap escape, Zathiny collecting his winnings, and everything else on the street fading away until it was only him. She could feel his eyes looking into her, deeper then anyone she had ever known. She felt exposed…and yet did not feel vulnerable. It was if he could see things within her that amazed him…and in that case, she had no idea what they could be.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Zathiny said joyfully.

"Yeah, gloat now you fucking lucky bastard…" the Tarlos muttered as he stalked away. Zathiny took one last look at the coins and put them in a bag he drew from his side. "Hey Jezebelle!"

His hold on her broken, Jezebelle turned back to Zathiny. Across the street, Tynzien's brow arched. _Boyfriend?_

"I cleaned up tonight!" Zathiny said. Jezebelle gave a nervous little giggle.

"Great…I guess that means I won't have to…"

Zathiny's whole attitude changed then, as the good humour left his face and the darkness crept in.

"I think not Jezebelle. I bought you for a reason, and you'll serve your purpose, no matter how much money we win. Now hurry up! You have some of your regulars lined up tonight…and I think that guy who always brings those chains has some new ideas. I'd brace yourself, because I think you're gonna have a rough night."

Jezebelle lowered her head, in defeat and in servitude.

"Yes master."

Tynzien watched the two head off, his hackles raised as he watched how the man pulled the woman by her arm, like he didn't care if it stayed attached or not. _That's no boyfriend…I believe I am witnessing first hand what Zarven spoke of, and that Accountant guy feared for his children…but…that girl…who is she?_

"Hey look, down on the ground! It's a shrub, it's a bush, no, its GOOD DEEDS MAN!" came a laughing voice, and then Syria landed next to Tynzien. "Hey time, long time no see! Have fun? Whoops, guess not." She giggled as she looked at Tynzien's battered state.

"Syria, have you been drinking again?"

"Just a tad! Those Roes are jerks, but they got some good shit!" Syria said. "Anyway, I came to get you. Saw what you did for that thin guy. You're so nice!" Syria said, slurring "nice" slightly.

"Syria, you're a bit tipsy, I think we should head back, I'll help…"

"BULLSHIT! I'm quite in control of myself, Tyn! I'll fly on my own! Catch me if you can!" Syria said, and with that she rose up and flew off. Tynzien watched her go. _Well, she's the one whose gonna have the headache later, if she doesn't get one earlier by crashing into one of those buildings!_

Tynzien glanced back at where the Tarlos woman had been. By now she was gone.

__

………..I gotta find her again. I gotta see her. She's…special, and if I don't look into it…who knows what I could lose…what everyone could lose…

And with a whir of winds, Tynzien was in the air and gone.

"You LOST?"

"Is there an echo in here, father? Yes, I lost. I was defeated. I fell in battle. I was vanquished by a foe. Insert your own simile here." Zarven said, holding an ice pack against his right shoulder.

Arcstor, the mayor/leader/dictator/politician/call it what you will of the Tarlos section of Kravlor, sat back and stared at his son. The young man seemed to be acting as usual, even sitting on his desk in the way he usually did. The only difference was his various bruises. He didn't seem to have any on his brain though. Which made his behavior even more confusing to Arcstor.

"But…you never lose! They had to force you to quit fighting in arenas! They called you the Retiree! And you make a dramatic comeback and lose?"  
"It was a saiya-jin father. And he had serious skills. Deadly serious." Zarven replied, rubbing his black eye. "I tried my best…it wasn't good enough. Guess I should be getting back to training."

"Well…I should think so!" Arcstor said, sitting back in his chair. The resemblance between Zarven and his father was clear, but Arcstor had short hair instead of his son's free-slowing mane, and he had a short beard as well. And of course, the knowledge of more years lived could be seen in his eyes. In a place like this though, it caused more of an effect then usual. Various scars on his face showed that as well. Arcstor had clearly spent his life fighting, and still planned to do more before he was done.

"Hey Dad, not like it's gonna affect you. It's MY reputation that's suffered. I used to be able to say "I am Zarven, winner of thousands of battles!" Now what am I going to say? "I am Zarven, winner of thousands of battles, and loser of one because a saiya-jin beat me silly with some weird power-up technique"? It just doesn't have the same ring."

And in a twist of irony, a small device on Arcstor's death suddenly started to beep. Zarven fell silent immediately, hopping off his father's desk and standing back. For the moment, his father was gone. The leader of this city was needed.

Arcstor opened the small device and hit a button. A Tarlos appeared. He looked similar to the one Tynzien had dubbed 'The Accountant".

"Hello sir. Just thought I should update you. We have still been unable to raise Gelb Colony."

"Still? Blast. We haven't had an update from them in days!"

"Well sir, according to intelligence, neither have the Roes. We're both equally cut off. We think its due to the strange behavior of the local stars. They seem rather volatile lately."

"A threat?"

"No, just an inconvenience. Still, it's a very annoying one."

"Keep trying. All frequencies." Arcstor said, and terminated the conversation by pressing another button. He leaned back and sighed.

"You know if something's happened, the birdbrains are going to blame it all on you." Zarven said.

"Of course. They always do." Arcstor replied, his voice tinged with bitterness. "You know, I suggested we both work on that colony. I sent Tarlos that had no bad history with Roes. I did my best to support it. And what do I get? Nothing but scorn, and people telling me I could do better. And just when it seemed to be working, it just cuts off. Yes, I think I know who their scapegoat will be. I wish we could find out the exact circumstances though. It would be better then just walking in blind at the Convergence in a few days. Some of those Roes would think nothing of making up a few stories in order to make us look bad."

"Indeed." Zarven muttered. "Still, it appears not everyone can be so easily swayed. That saiya-jin was obviously in the arena because he didn't want to be near the Roes."

"Oh? Are you sure there's no other reason he'd be there? Don't saiya-jins crave combat?"

"Maybe…but I'd still like to think he took a look at how the Roes lived and came out thinking more like us then like them. He didn't seem fond of our way of life, but he didn't brand us all criminals and deviants like they do."

Arcstor sighed.

'What am I going to do son?"

"I guess for now we can just try and raise Gelb Colony. I, for one, want to know why they aren't answering our hails."

The reason that the attempts to contact the Gelb colony were failing mostly had to do with the machine that received the hails. More specifically, the fact that it was on fire and melting to slag.

As was the room it was in.

As was the building it was in.

As was every other single building around it.

There was nothing to check the fire, for the only beings that could have done so were dead. In death, both Roe and Tarlos were equal, both in their wounds and in the look of fear frozen on the faces of those whom had managed to escape with a visage.

For a moment longer, the colony burned.

Then the giant bolt came down and an inferno exploded outward, reducing the buildings, the corpses, the ground, and everything else to ash. Within seconds the small planetoid had cracked apart and exploded outward before it was reduced to nothingness.

And once again, the figure laughed his silent laugh in the cold vacuum. When he spoke he made no sound, but he did not care. They could hear him anyway.

"This has been so much fun…but the time for amusement is over. It is time to begin…and the only thing left to do with that is to find the best place to begin it."

Swirling, the figure flew off, hunting for the last planet it would ever see.


	4. Who Are You?

Chapter 3: Who Are You?

(Writer's Note: I know this chapter has been delayed for a long time. Blame my job. It leaves me no free time at all these days)

"I am sorry Tynzien." Xalmer said, as he looked at the saiya-jin with regret and a tiny bit of fear. He had seen what Tynzien had done to someone he didn't like, and although Lyre had assured him that it was unusual for Tynzien to react that way, he was still worried that if he displeased Tynzien, the results could be less then good for him. "I can tell you nothing about this Tarlos woman. She has no reputation, or at least one we would know. She may have seemed so special to you, but to me she just sounds like one of the many Tarlos prostitutes that roam the streets."

Tynzien looked displeased.

"How about…" he finally said, and gave a description of Zathiny and how he had treated the girl he had seen.

"No, I know nothing of someone like him either…it sounds like you just saw a typical deviance of the Tarlos, their sexual enslavement of their women." Xalmer said, looking disgusted.

"Sexual enslavement? Do tell." Syria said. She had been listening to the conversation without much interest until that line had come. Then it had shoved a knife of cold ice in her gut.

"Well, we spoke of how the Tarlos, in their activity, have an underground network in, well, there is no other term for it then slavery. You are taken, priced, and then sold to whoever wants to buy you. Your rights cease to exist. You become a piece of property, living only to serve your new owner's whims, until you die, most likely from atrocious treatment at the hands of said owners. Men are used as free labour of human shields, and the women…they become sex slaves. They get used until there's nothing left and then they get tossed aside like trash for a new batch. I guess that man owned this Tarlos, and if what you say is true, I doubt he treats her well. Are you sure this isn't just some feeling of humanitarism you're having, Tynzien?"

"Humanitwhaaa? Is that English? Is that even a word?" Syria said.

"No Xalmer. It wasn't that, although it was surely part of it. There is something very…unique about her. She has something I've never seen before…her potential for combat…it's so…"

"WHAT?" Syria cried in mock horror. "I thought I was the one who had the greatest potential for combat! You said it all those times we trained! And I'm being tossed aside for some Tarlos floozy! Oh, my heart is broken! Catch me Lyre, I'm going to faint!" Syria wailed, and pitched herself backwards, expecting the Namek to catch her.

And he would have, if he hadn't been deep in thought and paying no attention to Syria at all. With a squawk of surprise and pain, Syria sprawled on the floor.

"OW! You know Lyre, when I asked you to catch me I kind of meant NOW!"

"Hmmmm? Did you say something Syria?"

"ARGH!"

"It's not just the potential for fighting power Syria, and if it makes you feel better, you still outclass her there." Tynzien said, helping the Raeus woman up. "I could sense something…well, special."

"There's that word again." Syria said, rubbing her head.

"I can't think of any other word Syria. She has something I've never sensed before. I have to find her, if only to find out _what_ it is. But whatever it is…it's amazing. If I could train her…I could turn her into the greatest fighter ever!"

"HEY!"

"Correction. ONE of the greatest fighters ever."

"Much better Tyn. Next time my foot goes up your rear."

Xalmer stared at the two.

"Are you always like this?"

"Pretty much." Lyre said, coming over to the three. "Tynzien and Syria, I wish to speak with Xalmer for a bit. Could you possibly…"

"We get the hint Lyre. Smell ya later." Syria said, and before Tynzien could say anything she grabbed him by the arm and hauled him off.

"Xalmer, I have been thinking…you say your people and the Tarlos have to have some kind of big meeting in a few days…"

"Yes Lyre. The Tarlos call it the Convergence. We don't look forward to it, but it's a necessity. If we don't keep our contracts up to date, god knows what those Tarlos could try and pull. Plus, most of the criminals in the city attend the function now, acting like honest citizens who just want to make sure their species is being treated fairly! Bah! What a crock!" Xalmer grumbled.

"I see…are tensions usually this high between you?"

"No, this time it's even worse! What with those Tarlos not showing up to check you out until it was too late, and our inability to contact our colony, and the rate of violence in the Tarlos part of Fravlor being worse then ever…we are very worried Lyre."  
"Your colony?"

"This planet was originally a Roe mining operation, before circumstance and fate turned it into a home for us and the Tarlos, curse them. But we still have mining operations going in various parts of this galaxy. The Tarlos "leader", Arcstor, suggested that we try and work together on one, to lessen the tension between us. I wasn't sure then, but we decided it was worth a try. Now we can't raise them, and while the Tarlos claim they can't either, I can't help but worry their people have murdered ours and taken over the mining operation secretly! It would be just like them to try such a stunt!"

"I see. This Arcstor…um, well…"

"I can guess your question. I must admit, he is better then some of the previous "mayors", but he still turns a blind eye to virtually all the illegal activities in his city! If their police force does anything, it's because we have to give them an incentive!" Xalmer said. Lyre had no problem figuring out what exactly the incentive might be.

"Well Xalmer, I had been thinking this over, and I would like to ask if I could somehow…supervise this Convergence."

Xalmer looked confused, but he unfurled his wings somewhat as he looked at Lyre. Lyre had come to recognize that body language as a sign of contemplation.

"Exactly what do you mean?"

"I'm an alien, a neutral figure. If I try and keep the peace, hopefully neither side will be distrustful of me…or particularly distrustful of me…" Lyre said, casting a glance that indicated the fact he had been staying with the Roes. "I won't interfere if you don't want me too…it was just an idea…"

"One I'm not sure the Tarlos would go for…but you would have to speak with them…it would be comforting to know that a powerful warrior like you would keep us safe…"

"I said I would be neutral Xalmer. Unless the Tarlos decide to attack you, I will not interfere. And that does not give you the right to incite them. I may be a warrior, but I'm not stupid. Now, if you agree, I should speak with Kastor, he'll be the main representative if I remember correctly…"

Tynzien didn't exactly appreciate getting yanked on the arm, so the second he was out in the hall he yanked back, nearly tossing Syria into a wall. Syria made a noise that indicated she was accepting a challenge and yanked back as hard as she could, and the two played a bizarre game of tug of war up the hallway.

"We have to stop this, one of us will go through a wall if we're not careful." Tynzien said, half laughing.

"You just wanna quit because you're losing." Syria shot back. "Fine, thumb-wrestling?"

"You're on."

"One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war, five, six, seven, eight, let's see who can keep it straight." The two said in unison as they cinched up their hands, and at the end of the sentence their thumbs began to grapple, Tynzien matching his strength against Syria's flexibility.

Tynzien's strong sense of smell picked up a familiar scent. _That sweet smell again…I guess she gives it off when she's exerting herself…_

That, and his closeness to Syria, immediately sent Tynzien's mind off on a tangent, and Syria crowed with joy as his concentration was broken and she pinned his thumb with hers.

"Ha! Was there ever any doubt?" Syria said, and began jumping up and down. Tynzien watched until he realized he was paying too much attention to a certain area, and then he turned away in embarrassment. Syria took it as shame.

"Ah, did I make you cry Tyn? Well, you're gonna cry alone, I'm off to bed. I'd ask you to join me, but eh, you know, politics!"

That made Tynzien turn.

"Politics? What the heck do politics have to do with that?"

"You really don't know huh. You're smart, and a man. I'm sure you'll figure it out." Syria said, and headed off down the hallway. Tynzien watched her go, and he didn't realize why until she turned the corner and he lost sight of her that he realized why. He curse and hit himself on the head in annoyance and frustration.

"Snap out of it Tyn." He muttered to himself, and then he realized he'd used Syria's pet name. He ground his teeth. This was worse then back on Velas. Velas had been hormones. Now feelings were starting to mix in, and saiya-jin feelings could be very…dangerous.

Tynzien turned, heading for his own room. He was going to take that cold shower he had thought about earlier.

And then if he had to, he was going to eat a ton of saltpeter until he had sorted himself out.

"Shoo! Get out! Vamoose!" Syria said, shooing the Roe and Tarlos servants out of her room. "I can take care of myself! Go have a coffee! A smoke! Whatever you do!" Syria said, and locked the door behind her. "I swear, the Roes must have everything done for them!"

Syria crossed the room and flung herself on the massive bed, enjoying the silky smoothness of the sheets and blanket. After lying there a while she sat up and began undoing the tight laces and buckles on her boots, sliding them off along with the socks she wore.

"Ah, that's better." Syria said, and just to check something, she took a sniff of her socks. "WHOA! Maybe I'd better call them back to clean these things. Eh, maybe tomorrow." Syria said, and tossed her boots across the room, along with her socks. She slipped off her gloves and began undoing the complicated straps that kept her outfit on. After struggling with it for two minutes she finally got them all undone and slid the outfit down and off her person. She felt much better. Decency be damned, sometimes she just found clothing restrictive and confining.

Checking the floor to see if it was cold, Syria slid into a full split and did some stretches, feeling his bones pop as air was forced out from between the hollows in between them. She smirked, remembering how much that had freaked her out when she first started training. She thought her bones were being warped in some way. She got to her feet and did a different split, stretching some more. She got to her feet again, and did some final stretches, mostly involving her legs. She always felt her kicks were more lethal then her punches, and she had to keep her muscles in tip-top shape.

She found the full-length mirror and did some shadow boxing in front of it, then some shadow kicking, watching for flaws, errors, or openings. Finding none, she got herself a stool and sat down to brush her hair. She looked out the nearby window, watching the night sky.

"When you wish upon a star…" Syria hummed. What should she wish for? Beauty? Nah, she had that in spades, and that wasn't arrogance talking. Power? No, she'd get that in due time, and she preferred to train with Tynzien for it. He knew his shit, and she could tease and humiliate him at will.

Money? Nah, she didn't want to carry around the root of all evil. Look what it did to the Roes.

Love?

That gave Syria pause. Should she wish for some new Raeus to enter her life, a knight in shining armour instead of a knave with raging hormones and/or ambition? She hadn't known her parents long before Koola had murdered them along with half her planet, but they always seemed happier together, like two parts of a whole.

That was what she wanted…but apparently life hadn't seen a reason to give it to her. 

"Eh, what do I need men for? I've got two good hands." Syria muttered.

The utterance failed to make her feel any better about her situation. She sighed. She envied Tynzien. He and Zeen had had something truly special. All she had was bad memories and the terrible sense of uncleanness that overcame her when she recalled them. She hated the fact that to them, she'd been little more then a piece of meat…

Piece of meat…

Syria got up and crossed to the window, not bothering to cover her nudity. She didn't care much if someone saw her. This was how she was and she would be damned if she felt ashamed of it. What would annoy her would be if someone decided to oogle or spy on her. And seeing how prim and proper the Roes were, she doubted any of them would find interest in a naked alien. Maybe the Tarlos would, but she doubted any would be in a position to see her.

She looked over the wall to the Tarlos section of Fravlor. Unlike the brightly lit Roe section, the lighting was sporadic and low. She wasn't surprised.

She wondered what was going on in that section.

More specifically, she wondered if all the bad things Xalmer had spoken of were happening.

Women being bought and sold…

Syria shuddered in revulsion. Maybe she had it easy. The men in her life had been jerks, but at least she had had choice in consenting to them. Bad choice, but a choice nonetheless.

Tynzien would be hunting for that Tarlos prostitute tomorrow. Maybe she would tag along in the guise of aid. She wanted to make some observations.

And if need be, she'd take some action.

Syria tossed the brush over to the dresser, clapped her hands to turn out the lights, and glided over to the bed, resting on top of it. It didn't take long for sleep to find her.

She thought she dreamed of Tynzien, but she couldn't remember when she woke up. But considering the way she felt, if he had been in the dream…he had some explaining to do.

"I didn't go into your room Syria. I slept, and unless I sleepwalk, I stayed there." Tynzien said, and went back to devouring his sixth plate of food.

"You sure?" Syria asked. She hadn't told him what kind of dream it was. Even she didn't know. All had was how she had felt when she woke up, and she'd only felt that way after a certain kind of dream.

"Oh no Syria, he's lying. He really did sleepwalk. He sleepwalked out of his room, sleepwandered until he found your room, sleepopened the door, sleepwalked over to you, sleepsat next to you, sleepwhispered things in your ear that made you have this ever so unusual dream, sleepgiggled at his prank, then sleepwalked back out to his room, only to awake with no memory of any of this. It all becomes so clear." Lyre said, and the look on his face indicated he was struggling not to crack up. Syria gave him a dirty look.

"Either that or he sleep…" Syria said before she trailed off. Maybe she had better not say that. If Tynzien heard, he was too busy devouring his breakfast to notice. The Roe servants could barely keep up with him.

"Tynzien, how is Century doing?" Lyre asked after Tynzien had finally slowed down, although whether that was because he was filling up or because he noticed how tired the servants looked was a matter only the beholder could decide.

"She's got all the fancy gadgets that absorbs solar power up and running, and the switchover to one of our other sources is about 60% complete. It's the solar absorption that takes the most time. Besides that, nothing new. She's been very busy, so I've left her alone."

"I see. That is a pity, I wished I could speak to her."

"About what?"

"Various things…mostly involving the Roe and Tarlos." Lyre said. Tynzien took a swig of his drink and looked at Lyre.

"You really want to help them achieve peace, huh?"

"Yes…must be my old soldier instincts. I am sure I can get them to see eye to eye, but the two races have hated each other for so long…it's…"

"They would prefer to cut off their noses to spite their faces?"

"Yes, that will do. In any case, I've managed to get the Roes to agree on my idea of being a moderator. Now I have to get the Tarlos to agree, and do it in a way that doesn't give them the idea I've been bribed by the Roes to side with them!"

"You'd best find out their defacto leader then Lyre. You see the wrong person, the Roes may think you'll be biased against them due to possible intimidation." Syria said.

Lyre gave her a wry look.

"Oh yes, I forgot you're the insanely strong warrior Namek Lyre, with a power level even higher then mine." Syria added. The last sentence was a resentful grumble.

"Indeed Syria, but I don't want to solve this with my fists. The last time I had to do that, I lost all my friends." Lyre replied. He looked sad.

"I see Lyre." Tynzien said.

"We ought to declare a patent on those letters." Syria suddenly said.

"What? What letters?"

"I C!"

There was a moment of silence, and then Tynzien and Lyre began throwing food at Syria.

Later on, after the three had cleaned up and apologized to the servants who were cleaning up the massive mess they had made, they headed off to the Tarlos section of Fravlor. Tynzien led the way.

"Ok Lyre, you're going to go speak with the Arcstor? I wish I knew where he stayed, but I didn't gleen that info from his son when I met him."

"Not to worry, I can find him. Good luck finding that girl."

"Yes. So Syria, what are you going to do?"

"Eh, politics bore me. I think I'll help you Tyn."

"If you wish Syria."

"Leaving now, Tynzien?" Xalmer said, appearing from a side hallway and startling the three.

"Yeah Xalmer. Why, you don't want to invite us to another party I hope."

"No no. But it would serve Lyre best if he got back as soon as possible." Xalmer said, and left that sentence hanging in the air.

"…Very well Xalmer. I will do my best." Lyre said, adding a tone that he was displeased with what Xalmer had indicated. Xalmer shrank a bit.

"It is also so we know when to expect you back at the gate…"

"We can fly."

"Oh yes. I keep forgetting that. I guess I'm just used to seeing wings on flying beings." Xalmer said. He didn't get to say any more as Lyre turned and left, followed by Tynzien and Syria.

Tynzien knew why Lyre had called an end to the conversation that way. Most likely, another comment on the Tarlos was forthcoming.

He was getting sick of them too.

"Ye gods. Too bright." Syria muttered, pulling out her sunglasses and putting them on as the two wandered the streets of Fravlor. Lyre had split off from them and wished them luck again, and then gone off to speak with Arcstor.

"Oh, don't be such a wuss." Tynzien commented, although he had to admit, the sun WAS bright. Whether this was a daily thing or an exception, Tynzien didn't know. The Tarlos seemed to be coping with it though, so he couldn't complain.

"You know Tyn, this would have been much easier if you had procured a name."

"I would have, except she got carted off by that guy she was with, and then you showed up half-sloshed…"

"I was not drunk! I don't have a hangover, do I?"

"Is that because you didn't wake up with one or because you begged the Roes for some medicine?"

"SHADDUP TYN!"

They turned down another street, which had a huge amount of shops set up, creating a makeshift market that seemed to sell everything from clothes to weapons. Tynzien and Syria were immediately besieged by people asking them to buy stuff, and the two had to fight their way through the crowd, Tynzien trying to see if the girl was there and Syria just trying to get through.

Ironically, Syria spotted the Tarlos woman first.

"Is that her?"

Tynzien took a look at one of the women standing around the busy corner, laughing and flirting with passing males. He frowned and shook his head.

"No, she had longer hair and more delicate features."

"Are you sure Tyn? They all look the same to me."

"She stands out Syria, like you did to me when I first met you."

"That might have been due to the fact I tried to pound your face in…hey, is that her?"

"Too short."

"Tynzien, are you sure you just saw this girl once and haven't been stalking her for years?" Syria teased. Tynzien glared at her.

"You know what? We've been searching for two hours and come up with two things, Jack and Shit, and Jack's left town. Maybe we should split up." Syria suggested.

"I don't know Syria. I was the only one who saw her, you might get confused…"

"Confused? Tynzien, after all the women you've shot down I've pretty much eliminated all the middlemen, er, women. Besides, if she's so unique, I should be able to find her…unless it's the kind of unique only males can sense, and if it's that I won't be looking for her, I'll be looking for you so I can beat your chauvinistic ass."

"You wish."

"Try me!"

"Maybe later Syria. That girl is my priority. Tell you what, you go that way, I'll go this way, and we'll meet up in say…three hours?"

"Fine by me. Smell ya later Tyn." Syria said, and then she had vanished into the crowd.

Tynzien sighed.

"Women. Can't live without em, can't…" Tynzien said, and the rest of his sentence was lost as a merchant assailed him asking him to buy some kind of meat.

Syria figured she had an advantage. She was a woman, and women knew each other better then men could know women. Or so she thought. Instead, she had gotten lost and turned around, and had had no luck finding the Tarlos girl Tynzien was so interested in. A few times she thought she had been sure, but she could sense no "unique qualities" as Tynzien had put it. She snorted in annoyance. She wished Tynzien could have been more specific.

Well, if the girl was a hooker, as Tynzien thought she was, she was definitely in the right part of town to find one. The area was dark and seedy, with few people on the streets, and Syria could sense a general feeling of fear and "Please don't notice me" ess in the air. In fact, a few people (all men) had given her dirty looks for no other reason then she was walking down the street.

Sort of how her old boyfriends used to look at her when she didn't do exactly as they said.

Leaving the past behind her, Syria turned another corner and found another group of women all standing along the street. The degree of attractiveness had been going downhill ever since she had started this quest, and it had reached the level of "junkie skank". Some of the women looked halfway normal, but more were painfully thin, shivering constantly in their low cut and high end dresses. Their eyes showed only hopelessness and a willing servitude that spoke of an experience that had become their lives. Syria felt bile rise in her throat. Maybe she was being selfish in complaining about her problems. Maybe she had had rotten relationships, but she was free, strong, and in the end, her decisions had been her own. These girls would live the epitome of bad relationships for the rest of their lives.

And those lives were often quite short, as Syria's eyes strayed upon a Tarlos male berating one of the junkie skanks (maybe she was being cruel in that description, but she had seen the effects of drug use on more then one species, and they certainly LOOKED like junkies). The girl looked to be trying to apologize, but it seemed to cut no dice with the male, who reared back his hand and belted her. The girl crumpled like a leaf, but that wasn't enough to satisfy her pimp, as he raised his hand to hit her again.

Syria's hand closed on his wrist so hard she nearly snapped his arm off. He howled in pain and tried to turn.

"Lay another hand on her and you'll spend the rest of your life having machines breathe for you." Syria growled.

The Tarlos didn't listen, instead twisting around and punching Syria in the stomach. She barely felt it.

"Have it your way."

The street briefly filled with the sound of fists, screams, and breaking bones, and then Syria strolled on, leaving the ruined wreck of the pimp behind her. She felt much better.

Tynzien was having no luck either.

His ability to sense ki was being hampered by all the kis around him, because mostly everyone knew how to fight to some degree, and his mind was being assailed by hundreds of weak power readings that might hit 10 on his scouter if he had it. However, the feeling he had had from the girl was that she would stand out, no matter where she was.

He had gone into some seedy bars and asked around, ignoring the lecherous looks given to him by the bartenders and customers. He could care less if they thought he was some pervert out to try a taste of alien flesh. But their information had been spotty and nigh-useless, but what could he expect from a society of criminals…

Tynzien kicked himself mentally. He was starting to think like the Roes. A few dirty drops of water did not pollute an entire ocean.

But then…there were more then a few.

Tynzien scanned another group of prostitutes. Nothing. The females made kissing motions toward him, and he waved back. They looked disappointed as he walked off._ They probably wish all their customers looked like me._ Tynzien said, allowing himself a moment of arrogance.

Twenty minutes later, Tynzien was still empty handed and beginning to feel frustrated. He had to find this girl, sooner rather then later. If he left her in this society…or this _part_ of a society…he didn't want to think of the result. The waste…the potential horror…

Tynzien was drawn out of his thoughts as something slapped across his mind. But it wasn't the girl. It was Syria's ki.

Syria was never sure what hit her, in every sense of the word. She had been walking along another street, thinking she could really use one of her planet's Waterfall Diver drinks, when something slammed against the back of her head.

The pain was minimal, but the surprise sent her pitching forward in a stumble. At first she thought the pimp had somehow gotten back up from the beating she had give him and had come for revenge. Her second thought was to kick his ass even harder for that. Her third thought was that maybe he couldn't have gotten up, but maybe he had sent some friends after her. Her forth thought was strangely pleasant: More asses for her to kick.

But before she could formulate a plan based on these options, they were shot down as a crush of bodies suddenly enveloped her, dozens of hands grasping and pulling. Syria's mind reeled. What the heck was going on? Was she being gang attacked? Mugged?

Raped?

That last thought brought about a surge of anger, even as more bodies crushed around her, yanking at her hair and clothes, trying to find pockets.

One of them decided, in the chaos, he could cop a feel.

Syria snapped.

"GET THE FUCK OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Syria screamed as her ki exploded around her, the golden aura of power throwing all her attackers away, slamming them into the surrounding walls.

Syria stared in amazement. Most of her attackers were little more then children, teenagers at most. As if realizing this fact along with the one that their target was no ordinary woman, the group immediately scattered, fleeing down into the dark alleyways and surrounding streets.

Syria set her eyes on one and teleported in front of one of the fleeing youths. He ran right into her. Not realizing what had happened until Syria got a fistful of his shirt and yanked him up.

"What's the big idea, jackass? Didn't your parents teach how to treat a lady?" Syria growled, as her Energy Shyutou ki blade exploded on her hand. The youth began to talk excitedly in his native language. Syria cursed inwardly, wishing she had a scouter. She was able to verify one thing though: he didn't want her to do bad things with the blade. Except after what he and his buddies had done, all Syria could think off was bad things.

"There are three things you should know in life shithead. You don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't spit into the wind, and if you jump me, you DON'T TOUCH ME." Syria hissed, raising the blade. She wasn't going to kill him, but he could probably get through life without a few fingers…

"Hold it Syria."

Syria turned her head as Tynzien landed next to her. She wasn't that surprised to see him.

"He did a bad thing, but you're about to do a worse thing. Put him down. He's just a poor kid trying to survive."

"Trying to survive does not mean groping females."

"And you know it was him who did that."

Syria ran her tongue over her teeth and looked back at her capture. He was still babbling, and he looked quite scared. And now that she thought about it, he was awfully young.

"Hey Tyn, translate this for me, will you? Tell them if I ever see them around me again, I'll kick them so hard their ancestors will feel it!" Syria growled, and tossed her catch away. As he struggled to his feet, Tynzien said something in the Tarlos language, and the teenager scampered off after nodding.

"I can understand how you felt on that Syria, but two wrongs don't make a right."

"Could you?" Syria whispered to herself. Then she put on a happy face again and walked over to Tynzien.

"You have any luck?"

"Nope, you?"

"Nadda, zip, zilch, zero, freezing, arctic, absolute zero."

"Peachy. Well, you want to stay together now or…?"

"No, you're right. Being apart gives us more of a chance. Besides, I can take care of myself, as you can see." Syria said.

"Ok then. Shall we keep doing this until sundown or do you have a better plan?"

'Sounds good to me." Syria said, and then she was gone, hopping over a building and vanishing back into the bowels of Fravlor.

Tynzien hoped for the city's sake it decided that throwing bad things at his hotheaded companion was a good way to commit suicide.

"She's ok? That's good. Yes I am. Yes, I'll ask them." Lyre said into the small communications device Tynzien had handed him at some time or another before he had set off to meet Arcstor and his son Zarven. Tynzien had called telling him Syria had been involved in some kind of gang attack, but she was ok, or so it seemed. Frowning, he ended the call and turned back to the Tarlos men.

"Problem?" Arcstor asked, worry creasing his brows. Based on how strong the Namek and his companions were, he did not want them getting a grudge against his society. If one was forming, it was best to defuse it.

"Sort of. My friends are looking for a Tarlos girl Tynzien saw last night…someone he noticed at the fight with your son…something unique about her."

"Anything physical? We could check our records…"

"No, he didn't give anything specific or unique. Just something he sensed. A warrior thing. But he was calling to report some kind of mass attack on Syria, my Raeus friend. Apparently a rather large group of youth just up and tried to molest her for some reason. It got ugly."

"Any fatalities?"

"None reported."

"I see. Well, if you would like an apology…"  
"No, just an explanation."

"The Piranhas, we call them." Zarven said, jumping in (apparently it was a habit). "Gangs of kids and teenagers. They attack people, steal what they can, and run off almost as soon as they appeared. They don't hurt and kill, at least." Zarven added, as if Lyre was about to start an accusation.

"I've tried to deal with them, but most of them shun us. They think our help would be slavery." Arcstor concluded.

"They'd rather die on their back then live on their knees?" Lyre offered.

"Pretty much. They think starving or overdosing on drugs would be better. Poor, misguided fools…" Arcstor said, genuine sadness in his voice. Lyre could understand his grief. He was a powerless elite, a puppet who couldn't escape the strings his society had wrapped itself in, only a serving boy to the high powered criminals. Maybe if he could broker a peaceful existence between the Roes and Tarlos, Lyre could look into reducing the influence the underworld had.

"Well, she's not hurt, at least. Now, getting back to what we were discussing…I would like to suggest that I act as a kind of supervisor. Trying to keep your arrangements going could be very difficult this year…I think a neutral figure would be most appreciated."

Arcstor glanced at his son. Zarven shrugged.

"Could have potential, but it could be coloured by the fact that you're staying with the Roes."

"Just because I am staying with them doesn't mean I believe their views…or yours. I think peace between your people could accomplish much more then the simmering feud you've had going for god knows how long."

"Tell that to them." Zarven said cynically.

"I will if I have to." Lyre said, his tone firm. "Frankly, I find it very annoying that innocent people are constantly being hurt in this silly disagreement."

"It's not just a silly disagreement, Lyre." Arcstor said. It was his tone that was firm now, with an undercurrent of tenseness and anger. "Those Roes have looked upon us as inferiors the moment we set foot on this planet. If it's not the high crime in our society, it's Zarbon. If it's not Zarbon, it's our hygiene. If it's not our hygiene, it's how we tie our shoes! It gets irritating, to say the least, when money makes people think they have the right to make such judgements. Arrogant twits."

"Indeed there are. But there are Tarlos which are just like how the Roe describe them, and we cannot let a few individuals control the interaction between two species, especially when one needs the other to survive, and vice versa. Don't you think peace would be better?"

"Sometimes I wonder." Arcstor said.

"I don't." Zarven added, and cracked his knuckles. Lyre rolled his eyes. The hot blood of youth.

"But in any case, I agree. A neutral figure could be a great help in the Convergence…if you are sure you will be neutral." Arcstor said.

"I swear on the honour of the _Yarwus_."

"Whoever they are."

"My fallen unit. Great men…" Lyre said wistfully.

"Can the flashback for now. Ok, you have my agreement. You had just make sure you get the Roes to agree to the same terms."

"I will."

"We'll see." Zarven whispered, a cynical glow in his eyes.

It was kind of strange. After all the effort Tynzien had made in searching for the Tarlos girl, he literally almost ran into her.

He was turning another corner in what seemed to be the millionth seedy street he had seen that day and there she was, just walking down the street.

She stood out, no matter where she was, and not just in aura. Tynzien had seen lovely Tarlos and pretty Tarlos, cute Tarlos and attractive Tarlos (and when one had seen all the prostitutes Tynzien had, there was definitely a gamut that ran all the way to ruined and destroyed), but this one…in her own way she just seemed to glow.

But her ki…it definitely glowed. It was like meeting Syria all over again.

Tynzien paused, suddenly unsure what to do. He didn't see that bullying bastard that she had been with before, and it showed, as the air of despair that had floated over her seemed to have dispersed a tad. He was pretty sure she had seen him last night, if only a glance. Should he just walk up? No, that might scare her. Maybe he should pretend to be a "customer" and talk to her once he got her alone, as slimy as the thought made him feel. But you couldn't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs…

And then all his plans were dashed as the girl suddenly did just that, breaking from the street and running down an alleyway. Tynzien blinked in surprise.

Then he saw three other men break from the crowd and go running after her. Tynzien growled. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts he had never even noticed that she was being followed. How her body language said she knew she was being followed and had decided to make a break for it.

Well, he wasn't going to lose her again. A few surrounding Tarlos gasped, as he seemed to vanish, blurring up and away.

Jezebelle ran down the alleyway, nimbly leaping over a garbage can that had sprawled across the path, cursing herself inwardly. She knew it had been a mistake to wander off on her own. But Zathiny had drunk himself into a stupor, and seeing how much he had done to her lately, she thought it would be no harm to slip off and just walk a little, like she used to before she had been sold into…

Selling. That was the problem. Her previous owner had had some financial problems and had been forced to liquidate most of his assets, including her. She had wound up in Zathiny's possession, which was even worse then her previous owner since to him she was just one of his girls. But Zathiny had the time to look closer, and had promptly put her life into an even deeper circle of hell. Then again, maybe she had died the moment she had come out of the womb since her life had always been hell in one form or another…

In any case, her previous owner had recovered and heard about her…"success" on the grapevine. Now he wanted her back. Zathiny had refused to sell her back. So it had come to this. Out without his protection, she was now prime to be stolen and delivered back to her previous owner (What was his name? Ranaxi? Raxi? Ramna? She could never remember).

She hated Zathiny, hated her life, but the devil she knew was better then…

The man she ran into, as he literally appeared out of thin air. Her heart leaped with fear when she thought she was caught, then she realized none of the low grade punks Ramnaaxii or whatever his name was hired could do that.

"Hey! Relax, I won't hurt you." Tynzien said, as the girl tensed as if to struggle. Instead, she just pulled herself away. Her eyes filled with surprise and a hint of recognition.

"You. You're from the…I have to go! Let me go!" Jezebelle bleated, trying to run past Tynzien. Tynzien grabbed her again.

"I saw them. I'll protect you."

"But there's…"

"I can handle it." Tynzien said, powering up. 

Surprising even herself, Jezebelle stopped struggling and pulled back. She could feel it as well, Tynzien thought.

"What are you?"

"I'm Tynzien Warlock. A saiya-jin. What's your name?"

Jezebelle never got to answer, as it was at that point that her pursuers caught up to her. They stopped when they saw she had as well, and that she had company.

"Well well well, what have we here?" Punk 1 said (and there was nothing much to distinguish them from each other. They were all big, brutal, and dumb, and apparently that was all their employer needed). "You picked a wrong time to get together with a trick, girly."

"Leave. Now." Tynzien said quietly. Jezebelle didn't expect them to listen. Sure enough, they laughed instead. The laugh grated on Tynzien's ears. It was like he was confronted by the damn Gangrene Gang from those Powerpuff Girl cartoons Century had found.

"Well buddy, if you want to get beat too, we'll be happy to comply." Punk 2 said, as the group procured weapons from their person. Tynzien looked unimpressed with the collection of blades and bludgeons.

"Last chance."

"Get 'em!"

The group charged. Motioning for Jezebelle to stay behind him, Tynzien took a few steps forward as Punk 2 swung a pipe at him.

Tynzien snapped his head back, avoiding it.

"You do not…"

Tynzien snatched the pipe out of his hands.

"know…"

Tynzien bent the pipe in half.

"who you are…"

With one quick explosive burst of ki on his hands, Tynzien vaporized the pipe.

"FUCKING WITH!"

And Punk 2 never found out, as Tynzien took one last step forward and kicked him as hard as he could. The other punks only saw a blur as Punk 2 was thrown out of the alleyway and into the building on the other side, hitting the wall with a sickening crack.

The remaining men stared, and then Tynzien waded into them, destroying them in an orgy of blood and confused shouts. He hated bullies, especially ones who tried to interfere with his tasks.

Unfortunately, his destruction of his targets kept him from noticing the two other men sneak up behind Jezebelle and grab her, dragging her back towards two more men and a waiting van.

Jezebelle was entranced. She had seen what Tynzien was capable of doing, but it didn't keep her from being amazed as he demonstrated his power and skill, and above all else, the vicious edge he had when confronted with something he found wrong.

But why would he be interested in her…?

The sweaty hand clamped over her mouth. Jezebelle's eyes widened and she tried to scream as she was suddenly yanked backwards, another pair of hands grabbing onto her as well. Tynzien, a moment ago her glorious savior, was now a total moron so wrapped up in what he was doing he didn't even notice she was being kidnapped.

"Just keep calm girly. In a few minutes we'll be back with Ramiai again (so it was RAMIAI) and we'll all be one big happy family again." One of her holders said, as they dragged her towards the van. 

Jezebelle looked at the open door, at the blackness beyond, at yet another abyss opening up to swallow her…

Rage, long repressed and held back, flooded her senses, and she bit down on the hand covering her mouth as hard as she could. The man bellowed in pain.

"You bitch!" he snarled, rearing back to belt her.

"LET ME **_GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"_** Jezebelle shrieked, pulling herself from the grip of her two kidnappers and lashing out, twisting her leg and slashing the foot of her heel forward and up, driving it into the man's neck and throat. His eyes flew open a moment before the blood exploded from the wound.

Tynzien felt the surge of ki and turned from the last punk he was destroying, seeing Jezebelle pull herself from the grip of two men and doing a picture perfect kick on one. That was all he saw though, as the last punk tackled him from behind and drove him to the ground.

Jezebelle didn't need her help as she attacked her other kidnapper, driving her fist into his gut. As he doubled over she drove her elbow into his spine, feeling a savage satisfaction as muscle tore and bone gave. As he dropped twitching to the ground, Jezebelle sprinted at the man who had opened the door, who was now pulling some kind of knife out (A shiv, a primitive knife consisting of a glass shard with tape on one end, a throwback to the days the punk probably spent in prison).

Jezebelle reached down and activated her talent, the one that had given her her hated reputation, as the man swung the shiv at her face.

It hit her cheek and snapped in half, like the punk had been attacking a wall. Jezebelle grabbed his arm and used his momentum against him, flipping the punk right over her head and into the nearest alley wall.

An explosion of force tossed the punk off of Tynzien powered up again. He got to his feet as the punk fell behind him and then twirled, kicking the punk off to join his companion. Already forgetting his foes, he turned back to Jezebelle as she approached the guy who had attacked her with the shiv.

Slowly, the forth man, forgotten in the carnage, slid out of the darkness within the van and aimed the gun right at Jezebelle's back.

Jezebelle heard the hammer cocking, turned her head, realized that she was dead…

And then the van exploded, the gunman consumed in flames with only a quick startled cry. A second after it exploded the van flew off its "feet" and sailed though the air before coming back to the ground with a shriek of crunching, twisting metal. It rolled once and then came to rest on it's top as it burned.

Jezebelle stared for a second, then looked over at Tynzien, hand out. He'd saved her with a ki blast.

A savior after all.

Tynzien lowered his arm as Jezebelle turned her attention back to the punk she had tossed into the wall. She reached down and picked something up, what looked like two pieces of glass.

"Tell this to Ramiai…" Jezebelle said, as her hands closed over the glass shards.

Tynzien's eyes widened as shock. The damn girl was trying to crush the glass with her bare hands! Even HE couldn't do that without being cut, what the hell was she…

And then he was even more surprised when he heard the series of crunching and cracking noise indicating the glass was being crushed fine. The thing was, no blood was coming from Jezebelle's hands, and her face showed nothing except cold rage. It was if she was protecting her hands somehow…

"Tell him I am not for sale, for hook, or by crook, and not to come after me any more…" Jezebelle said as the punk tried to stand. He looked at Jezebelle.

And Jezebelle snapped her hand out, throwing a shower of powdered glass in the punk's face. He screamed and clutched his eyes and stumbled down the alleyway, blood leaking from his fingers.

"EVER! Do you hear me? EVER!" Jezebelle yelled after him. The last few flecks of glass fell from her hands.

They were unmarred.

And then the attitude and power went out of Jezebelle like air out of a balloon, and she almost fell to her knees. She couldn't believe what she had just done, never knew she had it in her. But she knew what Zathiny was going to do to her when he found out…

Sirens registered to her hearing, and then Tynzien was by her side again, kneeling, offering a hand.

"Can we talk?"

"How did you do that?" Tynzien finally said, as he watched the last of the Tarlos police drive off with the bodies of the punks he and Jezebelle had defeated.

"What?" Jezebelle said, sitting on the opposite side of the roof, her arms curled across her breasts like she was cold, almost in a fetal position.

"That glass thing. How did you crush it with your bare hands…and not even get a scratch? Even I can't do that, not without some kind of layered gloves."

Jezebelle grinned bitterly.

"I don't know what it is…but it's been manifesting itself since I was a child…my money maker, as Zathiny might say. It's…well; I'll demonstrate it. Here, hold out your hand."

Tynzien, his eyes showing the confusion typical of a person being explained something. Jezebelle seemed to concentrate for a moment, and then she held up her own hand and placed it against Tynzien.

"What's that feel like?"

'Well, your hand on mine."

"Well, I can't feel it at all."

Tynzien looked at their clenched hands, trying to figure it out.

"Now I can tell that something's there, but I couldn't tell you if your hand was hot or cold, rough or smooth. It's my talent. I can make myself…just stop feeling."

Tynzien stared at their hands, trying to pick something up.

And then it came to him, a tiny but incredibly concentrated flash of ki energy. He sucked in breath as it based over his senses.

__

Century!

What?

I need a hand here. Try to match up what I'm feeling with any other records.

Um, ok…just a second…

"Now I can feel your hand." Jezebelle said. "It's nice."

"You can do this anywhere?"

'All over my body. Try it, punch me."

"What? I couldn't…"

"Go ahead. It's not uncommon." Jezebelle said, offering her cheek. Anger boiled in Tynzien. Those stinking…

"Go ahead."

Sighing, Tynzien gave Jezebelle his equivalent of a love tap.

"Nothing."

He hit her harder, cringing within that he might hurt her. But she didn't even move. His curiosity aroused, Tynzien hit her with about half his full strength in his normal state. Her head rocked back a tad, but her face didn't change.

"I felt the force move me back, but I didn't feel any pain on that, and I'm not even going full steam."

__

Tynzien, it's some kind of ki shielding, but I don't have anything in my records for it. This girl's unique, and she's got one hell of a ki level for someone with no serious martial arts training.

"Amazing." Tynzien whispered.

"Not so. That's why I'm so popular. People can do anything they want to me, and I don't get damaged." Jezebelle said. Tynzien cringed again at Jezebelle's choice of the word _damage_. "They can screw me, whip me, choke me, beat me, it doesn't matter. I don't feel any of it."

__

And years of abuse and brainwashing have made your heart and soul as numb as you can make your body. Well, that's going to change right now. I won't stand for this.

"You…my god…by _Kelas_…miss, I never did ask you your name."

"It's Jezebelle."

"Jezebelle then. Jezebelle, have you ever had any martial arts training?"

"Any what?"

"Has anyone ever taught you to fight?"

"What…no. Everyone now and then one of the other women on the street showed me something to protect me from dangerous tricks…but I don't need that. I have my talent. The alley…I just did what I saw in those fights Zathiny is always dragging me to."

__

And it came to you so instinctively you were able to pull off your imitation like a seasoned pro…on top of your talent…

"Jezebelle, do you know what ki is?"

"Ki…isn't that some kind of drink?"

"No. Ki is a life force…it flows through all things…including you and me…and it is what true warrior tap into to give them strength. That Brutuz…he didn't use any ki, but Zarven did…and you saw the difference. Ki lets you do this…"

Tynzien let a gold fire explode on his hand, letting it burn for a few seconds, then dispersing it.

"Or this."

Tynzien floated up a few feet, then floated back down.

"It can be used for many things. Your talent…it's ki-based, and apparently, quite unique. Jezebelle, come with me."

Jezebelle looked at Tynzien as if he had suddenly spoken in a foreign language, and then her eyes filled with fear.

"What? Leave? No, I couldn't…Zathiny…"

"Zathiny doesn't matter! He's using you like you're some kind of tool, not giving a damn except his own pleasures…you don't deserve that. I could teach you to be an incredible warrior…to be so much more…"

"No…no…"

"YES, Jezebelle! I can't stand how you look at yourself like you're worthless!"

"But I am worthless." Jezebelle said, as matter of factly as one might say the sky is blue. "My mom threw me away like garbage. My whole life…I've been nothing but garbage. You're wrong…you must be making a mistake…"

"I make no mistakes."

"You must be…I'm just trash…worthless trash…"

At that moment Tynzien stopped trying to convince Jezebelle of her worth because he could no longer resist the rage, going on an inner tirade about how fate could be so cruel. Well, if fate was going to act like that, fate could just kiss his ass.

"Jezebelle…"

"No…go away…just leave me alone…I don't want to hear your…your delusions!" Jezebelle said, getting up and stumbling away. Tynzien stared after her, arms open, feeling more helpless then he had in a long time.

"Jezebelle…"

"JEZEBELLE!"

Both Tynzien and Jezebelle started at this sudden yell, a yell of anger and rage. Jezebelle turned, her eyes filling with new fear.

"It's Zathiny! Get out of here!"

'What? How did he…?"

"It doesn't matter! If he catches us together…"

"Screw him! I'll tear him limb from limb!" Tynzien said, powering up.

"No! Please! Just go!" Jezebelle cried, on the verge of tears. Tynzien could hear someone coming up a ladder.

__

You'd best retreat for now Tynzien. She's been horribly scarred by her life, and her mind is a minefield. Standing up for her may very well send her into catatonia…or worse.

But Century…

Tynzien…do what you will, but that's what I think.

Tynzien looked at the beautiful Tarlos girl who had had such an ugly life. He hated what he had to do…

"I'll be back. I promise." Tynzien said, and then he was gone, flying off, his mind roiling with disgust and hate.

Jezebelle stared after Tynzien as he left her.

"Will you?" she whispered. She couldn't understand it. Tynzien w s such a kind, noble soul. How could he see anything in her except a quick fuck…or a…

"Jezebelle!"

Jezebelle turned as Zathiny finally finished climbing the ladder. Years of acting came to her as she put on a terrified face and ran to Zathiny as he climbed up.

"Oh Zathiny, I was so scared!" Jezebelle wailed, calling on the unused tears of a few moments before. Zathiny paused as the woman he had bought and made his living on threw herself on him. He had been furious with her for leaving, and had tracked her down with the device he had hidden in her shoe, planning to give her a sound thrashing. But her reaction had confused him. Jezebelle knew this, and went with it.

"I went outside and there were men…they took me…said Ramiai wanted me back…I broke free and ran, finally hid up here…I was so scared they'd find me again…"

"Ramiai…? Why, that son of a bitch! I never thought…well, he's going to pay for this! Somehow…he didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No." Jezebelle blubbered.

"Hmmm…thought you ran away…but this makes more sense. After all, you won't want to leave me, would you?" Zathiny said, lovingly caressing Jezebelle's chin.

"No, never Zathiny." Jezebelle said, the lie coming to her as easy as breathing. Tynzien was surely wrong. This was her life. It was all she had ever had and all she ever deserved.

Deep deep down inside her, the spark of hope that had refused to give out no matter what happened to her flared up, telling her to punch Zathiny in the face like she really wanted to and flee to Tynzien. He was not delusional. She was the one with the delusions.

But it only lasted a few seconds before years of horrors came crashing down, snuffing it out and reducing it to the faintest of glows.

No, such things did not want redemption, as Jezebelle finished climbing down the ladder and Zathiny dragged her off to "work".

It would spoil all their fun. Nothing was quite as delightful as slowly sending a being into the pit of hell via her own mind and feelings.

No sir. Nothing.

If such things were fun, Tynzien was setting up plan after plan of being the ultimate party pooper as he met up with Syria and Lyre, who were traveling together. And arguing.

'Syria, did you really have to knock down that building?"

"That little kid stole my shades! I had to stop him somehow! Besides, it was scheduled for demolition anyway. I just saved them the trouble."

'And caused them more because you COLLASPED IT ACROSS THE STREET!"

"Good evening, although I think that's an oxymoron." Tynzien grumbled as he landed beside them.

"Tyn!"

"Tynzien."

"Lyre, Goofball." Tynzien replied, directing the last comment at Syria. Syria pouted. "How did it go?"  
"Quite well. I convinced Arcstor to let me be the moderator. Now all I have to do is make sure I'm presented as a neutral figure, and not in the pocket of one side or the other."

"Good luck with that. Most of the Tarlos think you're already in bed with the Roes, and now most of the Roes probably think you're in bed with the Tarlos." Tynzien muttered.

"My, aren't we cynical! What's wrong Tyn? Didn't find the girl?"

"Worse. I found her." Tynzien said, and gave Syria and Lyre a summery of what had happened.

"Hard core brainwashed, huh?" Syria said when it was over.

"Cult level. This girl's talents and potential is being drowned in self-loathing and hopelessness. I have to find a way to make her come out of it, because I fear dragging her will just cause her more damage."

"Maybe the Roes will know something. They seem to know more about Tarlos law then the Tarlos do." Syria said. Lyre looked unhappy with the conversation.

"I do hope this hasn't made you think are Tarlos are scum, like the Roes are so fond of describing them. If my friends appear to show favorites."

" No no. Don't worry Lyre. We won't undermine your position. There are good Tarlos…like Zarven…and Jezebelle…"

"Met Zarven. Nice kid, if a bit unsure in when is the best time to talk…"

The three walked on, in silence. After a bit, Syria raised her head and looked at the night sky.

"The stars know everything." She suddenly intoned, and then did an about face. "Whoa, where did that come from?"

"Don't ask me what goes on in your insane mind." Tynzien teased, letting his anger lift a bit. Enough agonizing, it was time to work on a solution.

"It seems they would though." Lyre said, looking up as well. "They were hear before we were, and they'll be here after we're gone. Always watching, casting a silent eye on the worlds they helped grow and nurture without asking for anything back. Almost like benevolent gods watching out for our fortunes."

"Except they're not. They're big balls of burning gas, sort of like the ones I had earlier today in my gut. What the heck do the Roes put in their food?" Tynzien said. Syria and Lyre looked at Tynzien with distaste.

'Sure, break up the poetic moment Tyn! You should let your imagination soar occasionally!"

"Who wants a sore imagination?" Tynzien cracked. The next moment he was hopping on one leg as Syria kicked him in the shin and flew off, mumbling about men.

"Now I know where she got all that excess imagination. It took the place of her sense of humour." Tynzien grumbled.

"Thank heaven for little girls, eh?' Lyre said, indicating the star-filled sky.

"Yeah, except sometimes I swear they're from the other place."_And some live in it, put there by others. Well, if I have to slay the devil to save an angel…just call me the Saint of Killers._

If the stars knew everything, he knew everything about the stars.

The things they showed to no one else. The things no one would understand. They had blessed him in their choice, and given him a cause that would fulfill his life and take revenge on everything else, the useless obsolete creatures that used the stars' gifts and offered no thanks in return.

He would make them pay.

He would make them proud.

He would prove that he was worthy of their friendship.

And then it would only be him, him and the stars, an eternity of whispering how proud they were of him.

The eternal silence of space swallowed his mad laughter.

_To Be Continued!_


End file.
